


In Need of Polish

by Sunnylighter



Series: The Grass is Always Greener [3]
Category: Lego Ninjago, The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017)
Genre: Betaed, Big Mech Battle, Break Up, Chen's A+ Parenting, Conspiracy, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, First Meetings, Friendship, Golden Weapons, It gets better quick, Lloyd gets kidnapped... again, Meet-Cute, Multi, Pixal and Zane are adorable, Show and movie crossover, Skylor is trying, Tag As I Go, Temporary Character Death, This wouldn't happen if they could just call each other, Zane's a good big brother, but kinda funny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:01:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 50
Words: 154,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21832636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunnylighter/pseuds/Sunnylighter
Summary: New hidden threats have arisen on both Ninjagos. Between ominous prophecies, missing snakes, killer robots, and an underground mafia, the Ninja of both worlds have their hands full, all while dusting off hidden secrets to allow their owners to shine. As it is, now is SO not the time for two Zanes and a Kai to fall in love!Sequel to The Grass is always Greener, and beta read by Kay Hau
Relationships: Kai/Skylor (Ninjago), P.I.X.A.L./Zane (Ninjago)
Series: The Grass is Always Greener [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1441819
Comments: 272
Kudos: 151





	1. Chapter 1

_Movie Ninjago_

It was a typical day at Ninjago High School. Or, at least the new kind of typical where they didn't have Garmadon attacks every other day, and six of the student body were celebrities.

Zane Julien was one such celebrity, though he never really understood his classmates' fascination with him and his friends. The six of them worked together to keep Ninjago safe from evildoers, it was as simple as that. The other students' gratitude was appreciated, but their constant questions and eagerness to take pictures could be irritating at the best of times and caused Jay to have an anxiety attack at the worst (though that hasn't happened recently, thankfully).

At least Kai liked the attention, though at times it seemed he was the only one.

It was avoiding one such eager student that caused Zane to speed up going down the hallway and in turning a corner too fast, only to crash into someone else and scatter both their books across the floor.

"I apologize," Zane said automatically. "I should have been watching where I was going."

"No, it's alright. I was not paying attention either," came a soft reply, and Zane took the time to get a better look at who he'd crashed into, and his glowing blue eyes met a pair of sea green ones.

It was a girl. She had long, platinum blonde hair tied in a low side ponytail. She was dressed in an oversized purple sweater-dress with an open neck and red belt over leggings and flats.

After a moment to process her appearance, he recognized her. She was in some of his classes, and he had seen her around the school quite often, but she rarely seemed to engage in any interactions with the rest of the student body. He could not understand why she would refrain from doing so.

In the time he had been processing this, the girl had already gathered up his books and handed them back to him. "We will simply both have to be more careful in the future," she said politely.

"I agree with that assessment," Zane said with his best friendly smile. "I am Zane Julien. I am here to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

The girl gave a small smile at his introduction. "I am Penny Trixie Allons," she said. "And I am here as a student, of which I must get back to. Have a nice day, Zane Julien."

With that, she turned and walked on past him, and Zane watched her go.

She seemed very courteous, he did not understand why she always appeared to be on her own. Perhaps she was lonely and needed friends. While his teammates had warned him not to accept offers of friendship from those who were designated as 'fans', he thought it would be alright in this case. Since she was one of the few students who hadn't been persistently pestering him and his teammates, perhaps she would be safe to befriend.

Even as he resolved to do just that, he continued to watch her make her way down the school hallway. To his surprise, she did not go down it in a straight line. Instead, she would pause every few steps to pick up a piece of litter off the floor to throw into the trash with amazing accuracy, hurry from one side of the hall to the other to hold doors open for those with their arms too full to reach the handle and pause to give directions to visiting parents who seemed confused by the school's layout. Somehow, she managed to do all of this, and still be in class before the bell rang.

Seeing her do all this, Zane was struck by a realization. Not only was she polite, she was _kind!_

He didn't realize he had still been staring after her long after she was gone until Kai came over to tap him on the shoulder.

"Zane, bro, what's up with you?" the Fire Ninja asked. "We're gonna be late for class any second. You're _never_ late."

Zane slowly rotated his head so he was looking at his friend. "I think I'm in love."

* * *

"Okay, tell them what you told me," said Kai a few hours later as they sat together at lunch.

Zane turned to face their group of friends and dutifully repeated his words. "I think I'm in love," he said matter of factly.

There was a beat of silence as the rest of their friends stared at him in surprise. When what he said fully sank in they exploded in a mix of reactions.

"That's great! Who? Is she cute?" asked Jay, happy for him.

"Wow," said Lloyd, who looked happy for him as well, but also surprised. "I don't think I've ever seen you interested in someone before. Whoever it is must be something special."

"Yeah, I'm gonna need a name," said Nya, looking skeptical.

"How can you just fall in love with someone at the drop of a hat?" questioned Kai, who had been confused since his initial revelation.

Cole just listened as they all chattered, and gave Zane a sympathetic look when he saw the Nindroid begin to glitch from trying to keep track of everyone's questions. "Can it, guys," he said in a firm tone, shutting the rest of them up.

They all looked sheepish about their reactions, and Lloyd said, "Sorry. Go on, Zane. Tell us."

Zane's smile returned. "The object of my affection is Penny Trixie Allons," he said, subtly (for him at least) pointing over to the girl in question.

The rest of them were far less subtle when they all turned to look in her direction.

Fortunately, Penny didn't notice as her back was to them. Once again, she was sitting by her lonesome at a table in the back of the cafeteria with no one around to share in a conversation.

"Oh, her?" asked Jay in a whisper, as if she could hear them across the crowded cafeteria. "Yeah, she's cute. Good catch, Zane."

Nya smacked him on the shoulder for that. "There's more to girls than their looks, Jay," she hissed disapprovingly.

Jay looked sheepish at that. "I know that!" he said, shrinking into his scarf and babbling like he always did when he felt bad. "Like, you're gorgeous but there're tons of cooler things about you than just that."

Nya blinked in surprise at his words.

The Lightning Ninja then seemed to realize what he'd just said, and leaned forward to press his face into the table as he turned red in embarrassment.

It was unfortunate that he did that, as he failed to see Nya's startled expression melt into a blush and a pleased smile.

Cole sighed and rubbed Jay's back as he fought through his embarrassment, and Kai, who was still looking over at Penny, spoke up to distract them.

"Oh, is that her name," the Fire Ninja said. "I've seen her around." He turned to shoot a grin at Lloyd. "I always thought she might be some long lost relative of yours," he added.

That had everyone turn to look back and forth between Penny and Lloyd, seeing what Kai was talking about. Both teenagers had very light blond hair and green eyes, though Lloyd's were a far more vivid green than hers.

Lloyd managed a small smile at Kai's theory. "I doubt it," he said. "Mom was an only child, and I think we'd know if Dad or Uncle Wu had any other kids… probably. Still, it would be pretty cool."

Nya, however, had been studying the girl with a critical eye, before turning to address the rest of the table. "Alright," she announced. "I'll check her out and get back to you if she's legit or not."

That made everyone turn to her in confusion.

"Wait, you're giving her the Nya Test?" asked Cole.

Nya raised her eyebrow as if the answer should be obvious. "Of course. You didn't think I'd just do that for Lloyd, did you?"

Lloyd turned red at her words and looked like he wanted to join Jay in burying himself into the table.

The Nya Test came about in their early years of middle school when Lloyd was just starting to realize that girls weren't as gross as he initially thought and were actually kind of pretty (aside from Nya, who had always been awesome in his books, but in a sisterly way). It was right around then his first crush hit him like a bus.

He had suppressed her name from his memory, but he still remembered giving her a flower and tripping over himself trying to talk to her and get her to like him. To his surprise and delight, she'd seemed receptive of his affections, and had given him hope.

Only to humiliate him in the middle of the school cafeteria by dumping her soda on his head and loudly proclaiming she wouldn't be caught dead having anything to do with an evil little creep like him, and that no one would ever love him. The rest of their classmates had joined in on her mocking him for thinking he'd had a chance.

Lloyd had ditched school and run home crying after that. He later heard that both Kai and Nya got a week's detention that day. Nya for giving the girl a black eye, and Kai for crouching behind her when his sister punched so that she tripped and landed in a trashcan.

After that, an occasional attempt at bullying Lloyd was for people to slip him fake love notes or give flirtatious comments to try and lure him in and break his heart again. It was rare, but it happened.

And thus, the Nya Test came to be.

Simply put, Nya would track down the person who was claiming to 'love' Lloyd and investigate them and their intentions. None of the boys knew what the Nya Test actually involved, but it was certainly effective. Sadly, none of the 'love confessions' had been genuine, but no one had been able to get one over on Lloyd again, and he was all the more grateful for it.

Still, this case was a little different from the previous ones.

"I do not think that is necessary," said Zane, slightly concerned Nya would chase Penny away. "I only want to befriend her. She seems kind but lonely."

Nya glanced over at Penny and had to agree with Zane's assessment. Like him, all the times she'd seen Penny in the past, she'd always been on her own.

"Alright, I'll do a different tactic this time," she said. "I'll make friends with her first, and let you know how she is."

"But-" Zane protested, but Nya held up a hand to silence him.

"Let Big Sister Nya do her thing," Nya insisted. "I promise I'll be nice."

They all knew Nya well enough that no amount of protest would change her mind, and Zane could only hope for the best.

Hopefully, whatever the Nya Test actually was, Penny would be able to pass it.

* * *

Walking home from school to do homework before training, Kai was still confused about the day's events. For once he was walking alone, as Lloyd needed to rush home to prepare for a trip he was taking the next day with his mother, and his sister had stayed behind to begin her initial stages of the Nya Test. In other words, talk to other students and teachers at school to see what they thought or knew about her target.

Of course, the reason for Nya's need to run her test was the cause of his confusion.

"I don't get it. How can he know he's in love with someone so quickly?" Kai wondered aloud.

Maybe it was a Nindroid thing. For all their friend tried to be normal, some parts of him just couldn't be hidden. They all accepted it about Zane, even if he didn't seem to accept it about himself.

Kai was pulled from his musings when he heard a shout coming from a nearby alleyway.

"Alright, little girl, give us all your money and no one gets hurt," growled someone in a tough-guy voice.

Hearing it, Kai dropped his backpack and hurried towards the alley. If there was one thing he did understand, it was action.

Time to be a hero.

However, just before he reached the alley, the owner of the tough-guy voice let out a shout of pain. The Fire Ninja screeched to a stop just in time to avoid being knocked flat as the owner came flying out of the alley, and landed with a painful thud on the sidewalk.

Kai could practically see the stars spinning around the would-be mugger's head as he lay dazed on the cement. Wondering how that could have happened, he walked over to stare down the alleyway.

What he saw made his jaw drop.

Standing in the middle of the alleyway was a girl with long auburn hair in a French braid, wearing an orange cami with a brown vest and cargo pants. Her expression was cool and confident despite being surrounded by three more thugs like the one who just kissed concrete. All three of them were trying to grab the girl, but every time they tried, she'd evade and land a hit of her own.

Before Kai's very eyes, he watched her judo flip one thug into a dumpster, swing from a fire escape to kick another in the face, before flipping over the last one and kicking him in the back so hard he came flying out of the alley and over Kai's head to land next to the first thug.

As she was dusting off her hands at a job well done, Kai could only utter one word. "_Wow!"_ he said in a breathless tone.

His voice caught her attention, and she turned to look over at him. Suddenly feeling awkward, Kai could only give a small wave back at her, his face still set in an awed expression.

She grinned at him and Kai noticed her cheeks were dotted with freckles. "Thanks," she said, before giving a friendly wave and running off.

Kai didn't realize until five minutes later he was still standing and waving after her even though she was long gone.

Slowly lowering his hand, he remembered the question he'd been puzzling over only moments earlier.

"Oh," he said to himself. "_That's_ how."

* * *

The next day at school had Kai still in a slight daze over what he'd seen. Over _who_ he'd seen.

And he hadn't even gotten her name. _Stupid!_

From the corner of his eye, he could see Nya shooting him looks when she thought he couldn't see, and he knew his twin was growing concerned. While they usually were very open with each other, he hadn't mentioned what he'd seen to her the night before. There wasn't much to tell, and on the off chance he ever saw the girl again, he didn't want his sister to chase her away with a Nya Test.

Besides, there wasn't really anything to tell. _He hadn't even gotten her __**name!**_

He was pulled from his thoughts when his homeroom teacher came in and began morning announcements.

"To begin with, we have a new student who just transferred in," she said, waving for someone to come in the door. "Everyone, let's please give her a warm welcome."

Glancing over to see the new kid, Kai suddenly sat ramrod straight in his desk and stared.

It was _her!_

The back-alley brawler from the day before stood at the front of the class with a small smile and gave them all a wave. "Nice to meet you all," she said. "My name is Skylor. I just moved here from out of town. I hope we can be friends."

The rest of the class gave a smattering of applause and a few calls of, "Hi, Skylor." Kai, however, could only gape, too stunned to speak.

"Now," said the teacher. "Since Skylor is new, she is still unfamiliar with the school's layout. Would anyone be willing to-"

"ME!" said Kai, shooting out of his seat like a rocket with his hand waving wildly in the air. "I'll do it! I'll show her around!"

Everyone was staring at him like he was crazy, but he didn't care. His attention was only on Skylor, whose eyes widened in recognition.

She remembered him!

Or she recognized him from being a ninja, but hey, details, at least then she already knew how cool he was.

The teacher had also been taken aback by his enthusiastic response and coughed to regain her composure. "Yes, well, alright." She turned to Skylor, and said, "Skylor, will it be alright if Kai shows you around the school."

Glancing at the teacher, Skylor's small smile grew and she nodded her head. "Not at all, I'd be happy for him to show me." She then turned to look back at Kai and gave him a wink.

She _did_ remember him!

Kai sat back down with a wide grin on his face as Skylor made her way to her own seat and class started.

He had her name and he gets to show her around the school. Things were looking up!

A few seats over, Nya sighed and shook her head at her brother's antics. He couldn't be more obvious if he tried.

As annoying as he could be, Kai was her goofy big brother who needed to be protected just as much as her little brothers did, even if what she was protecting him from was his own stupidity.

Looks like she had another Nya Test to run.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luh-Loyd and Lil'Loyd accompany Koko when she's summoned before the Serpentine, only to find the snakes frightened and hoping for them to stop an ancient prophecy.

_Movie Ninjago_

The desert sun beat down on the dunes below, giving a startling contrast between the vivid blue of the sky and the gleaming gold of the sand. It would be picturesque if it wasn't so dang hot.

At least the wind from the speeds they were going on the Green Dragon Mech helped cool the heat off some, but not much.

"Are we almost there?" asked Luh-Loyd as he drove himself and his passengers towards their destination.

"Almost," his mother called from behind him. "It should be coming into sight at any moment."

"Why couldn't we take the Bounty here?" asked Lil'Loyd, who was tucked safely between the two of them and clinging to Luh-Loyd's back as they flew. "It has air conditioning."

"It wouldn't be fair to take Wu's ship away from him for the entire day, and he wasn't invited," Koko replied. "And before you ask, no, Meowthra and Ultra couldn't give us a lift because they weren't invited either."

Lil'Loyd grimaced but didn't complain. He liked his counterpart's mech, he really did. It was like riding a rollercoaster with no track, and flying around the city on it was a blast!

Flying through the hot desert though, not so much. For all it's protection, hot sun plus metal dragon is not a good combination. Especially not when dressed in armor or long-sleeved ninja gis.

"I see it!" Luh-Loyd called out, and Lil'Loyd leaned out to see around his back and his eyes widened at the sight.

In the middle of the desert sat a massive colorful city. Banners of turquoise, green, red, black and purple hung from the clay and stone buildings that made it up. From above they could see the inhabitants of the city walking through the markets and plazas going about their business, making the entire place feel teaming with life. In the center of the city stood a large arena with large stands all around to view it. But one of the most striking features about the city was the massive wall surrounding it.

"Wow," said both Lloyds in unison. The entire place looked like something out of an Arabian Night Tale.

Smiling at their reactions, Koko waved at the city and said, "Boys, welcome to the City of Ouroboros."

Lil'Loyd jerked in surprise at her words, and Koko had to catch him before he fell off the mech.

Ouroboros?!

Now that he looked, Lil'Loyd could see a faint resemblance between this city and the version of it in his world, but only in the shape of the architecture and the layout from above. The differences between the two places, however, were far more vast.

This Ouroboros was bright, vivid, and alive, while the one Lil'Loyd knew was long dead and broken. It wasn't called the Lost City for nothing. Even now the Serpentine have not returned there.

Luh-Loyd, having heard of the Serpentine War of his counterpart's world, grimaced and could guess the cause of his little brother's reaction. He'd been glad to hear things for the Serpentine in that world were starting to turn around.

Once Koko had Lil'Loyd safely secured again, Luh-Loyd brought his mech into a landing at the gates of the city wall. Fortunately, they were able to park in the shade, to avoid an unpleasantly hot ride back.

The reason they were there was because Koko had been sent a summons to come, and was allowed to bring her sons with her. She had been sure to inform both Lloyds about what an honor it was for such a thing to happen. The Serpentine of this dimension were _extremely_ secluded from the rest of the world and liked it that way. It was rare for outsiders to be allowed in their borders.

But because of Lady IronDragon's actions to defend them when they had been besieged by Garmadon, she had been granted the title of Snake Charmer meaning she was considered a friend of the Serpentine. It was an honor bestowed to very few, and only given for great acts of bravery and kindness towards their people.

As they climbed off the mech, the gates of the city opened and a Venomari came out to greet them with Constrictai guards in tow. "Charmer IronDragon," he said, giving her a bow. "It isss an honor for you to join usss."

Koko bowed back, and her sons copied her. "It was an honor to receive your summons, and even more so that you allowed my sons to come as well," she said politely.

The Venomari looked surprised to see the two blond boys standing behind her, but made no comment. "Pleassse, follow me," he said and led them through the gates.

Koko and the Lloyds moved to follow him, and the Constrictai guards formed up alongside them to surround their procession.

As they made their way through the city, it was even more amazing to see than from the air. It was a far cry from the desolate city that had housed the Great Devourer in Lil'Loyd's world. To help him see better between pedestrians and their Constrictai guards, Luh-Loyd lifted his younger counterpart up onto his shoulders to get a better view. From up there, Lil'Loyd's head swiveled in every direction, trying to take it all in at once.

Like in his Ouroboros, there were several statues and carvings of snakes in the walls, but there was also a common motif of a golden sun decorating them as well, which was apparently what the Serpentine chose to worship with the Great Devourer being nonexistent in this world. Unlike in his version of the city, color was everywhere, from the colorful snake people to the vibrant wares they were peddling as they passed.

Said snake people were just as fascinated with them as they were of their surroundings. It was clear from how some of them stared they had never actually seen a human before. As the group walked by, they could all hear the whispered hisses of "Charmer IronDragon!" and "Green Ninja!" and "Who'sss the hatchling?"

Finally, they were taken into a large but heavily guarded building near the center of the city, not far from the Slither Pit.

As they entered, an armored Anacondrai approached them and relieved the Venomari of his duties.

Lil'Loyd had to stare at him in surprise. He'd never seen an Anacondrai aside from Pythor before. This one had a shorter neck than the treacherous snake he knew and had green eyes and a green gem set into his forehead. The golden armor he wore gleamed in the desert sun as he waved them further into the building.

"Welcome," the Anacondrai said. "I am General Arcturusss. I will lead you to our meeting."

Lil'Loyd looked startled at the name, recognizing it from his father's stories.

Sensing him tense upon his shoulders, Luh-Loyd whispered, "Something wrong?"

Lil'Loyd leaned over whisper back. "Not really, I just heard of this guy in my world. He was, like, the fiercest general in the Serpentine War. So much that they named a constellation after him."

"Huh," said Luh-Loyd, eyeing the general with interest. "And if anything about that is mirrored here, then this must be pretty important for him to come to meet us."

Koko seemed to have realized this too, as her posture was tense as they were led through the building. Whatever they had been called here for, it had high-ranked Serpentine spooked enough to call her for help.

As they entered a lavishly decorated meeting room, her eyes widened and her sons gasped behind her.

Very high ranked indeed.

A Hypnobrai Serpentine with a crown on his head and a golden scepter in his hands sat waiting for them at the head of the meeting room table. One very familiar to both of the Lloyds.

"I presssent, his Majesssty, King Skalesss," said General Arcturus with a bow to his king.

It was indeed Skales, though not the one they had met on the other Ninjago. This one was a slightly lighter teal than his counterpart, his scales looking more sunbleached than the one that had been trapped in a tomb for decades, and wearing an imressive looking robe. He also seemed more regal, as if he had long grown accustomed to his position as king of the Serpentine rather than the newly crowned one they had met.

He wasn't alone. Lil'Loyd recognized the (slightly different looking) other Serpentine sitting around the table meeting room table as the former leaders of the different clans before Pythor united them under him. Though thankfully, the purple snake in question was not present, and instead, General Arcturus moved to the spot at the table set for an Anacondrai.

Koko was quick to bow to the king, though her sons were somewhat slower on the uptake from their surprise. Fortunately, they were able to disguise it by Luh-Loyd setting Lil'Loyd back to the ground, and they bowed as well a moment later.

"Your majesty, to what do my sons and I owe the honor of being summoned before you," said Koko respectfully.

King Skales raised an eye-ridge at that. "I wasss not aware you had more than one hatchling, Charmer IronDragon," he said.

"I'm adopted," Lil'Loyd piped up, giving the cover story they'd come up with. It was at least somewhat true. The two families had adopted each other, and Lil'Loyd still considered Koko to be his mother, even after meeting his birth mother, Misako.

Koko smiled slightly at how quick he said that. "Montgomery is a recent addition to my family," she confirmed.

King Skales looked at both Lloyds and the clear resemblance between the two of them, and said, "I… sssee. How very kind of you."

Both boys smothered amused grins. They were well aware of the crazy theories that still circulated to explain the two of them. People speculated everything from clones to time travel to explain them. Ironically, they never considered the truth, that they were the same person from two different versions of Ninjago. Even now, they could see similar theories forming in the Serpentines' minds.

"As for your sssummons here, we have newsss of grave importance," said General Arcturus. "Sssomething that could ssspell doom for both Ssserpentine and humansss alike."

Luh-Loyd stepped forward to stand by his mother. "How can we help?" he asked.

"We SSSerpentine have legendsss, jussst as you humansss do," said the Venomari general, Acidicus, if Lil'Loyd remembered his name right. "When the Firssst Spinjitzu Massster created Ninjago he created the SSSerpentine as well. He warned our ancestorsss long ago of the coming of the Golden Massster."

"Golden Master?" asked Lil'Loyd with a frown, exchanging a glance with his older counterpart.

"Who, or what, is the Golden Master?" asked Luh-Loyd.

"A great evil," Acidicus said. "One who had the power equal to that of the Firssst Spinjitzu Massster. He would rissse up and usher in the lassst of the setting sunsss.

"Knowing that we will one day be forced to never sssee the sun again, isss why we SSSerpentine worship it ssso," added the Fangpyre General, Fangtom, though lacking the accent that his counterpart had and only having one head.

"With no equal adversary, hisss power will go unmatched, hisss destructive rule will change the face of the world, and he will not ssstop until every creature that walksss this realm isss under hisss control," Acidicus said dramatically, finishing his story

Koko frowned as she heard it. "I've heard this story before, back when I was fighting Garmadon," she said. "But I was told it was just a story to scare children. Behave, or the Golden Master will get you, that sort of thing."

Skalidor, the Constrictai General, chuckled at that. "It doesss ssserve that purpose as well."

The other Generals all sent him annoyed looks for his humor.

"While the story isss used to discipline hatchlingsss, it isss, in fact, very real," said King Skales. "Our historiesss have it written down for as long as writing hasss exisssted, recounted by your grandfather himssself, Green Ninja."

Both Lloyds looked startled at this. It wasn't exactly well know in this world that Luh-Loyd was the grandson of the creator of this world. It seemed as he had grown older, this world's First Spinjitzu Master had chosen to step out of the limelight and let his identity fade into obscurity. Even Lord Garmadon and Master Wu hadn't been entirely sure of his identity as such until their counterparts confirmed it. Hearing this prophecy came from him had Lil'Loyd wondering if it was the same in his world.

"So, this Golden Master, you think he's coming?" asked Luh-Loyd.

"We're not sure," said Fangtom.

"The warning we were left with provided signsss to show when the end would draw near," said King Skales. "Hintsss to prepare for the inevitable."

"SSSuch signs ssseem to be appearing in recent timesss," said Arcturus.

Koko and Luh-Loyd shared an uneasy look.

"You guys are real downers, you know that," said Lil'Loyd bluntly, making them all turn to look at him.

"_Lil-Montgomery!_" hissed Koko at his rudeness.

"What, they are," said Lil'Loyd. "They're all talking like we've already lost, but they just said that there are only signs, and they're not sure. Plus, you two were the ones who told me prophecies aren't always accurate. Even if there is this Golden Master guy, I bet we could beat him."

Luh-Loyd and Koko shared another look and felt sheepish. It was easy to be caught up in the story when it was about their own world, but he was right. They had been the ones who had insisted Lil'Loyd choose his own destiny, rather than follow the Green Ninja Prophecy. They had successfully subverted that prophecy, and they could do it with this one too.

"I apologize for his delivery, but my son is correct," said Koko, turning back to the Serpentine.

Luh-Loyd nodded as well. "It doesn't matter that the First Spinjitzu Master himself told you it would be the end, we're not going to sit back and let someone destroy the world," he said in agreement.

The generals turned to face their king, who stared down the three determined humans in front of him.

Then, King Skales' face broke into a grin. "Ah, the honesssty of youth. It is refreshing. That isss exactly what I wanted to hear." He gave them a look that was just as determined as theirs was. "I do not wish to be the king that allowed our civilization to fall. If there isss some way to prevent this catassstrophy, I will do anything in my power to make it ssso." He then stood from his chair and waved for the three of them to follow him, his scepter clanking along the ground as he slithered. "Come, I will show you myssself."

The three of them followed the king down a slanted path that went deeper down into the building and revealing that it wasn't just a building…

"This is a tomb," said Koko, recognizing some of the markings on the walls.

"Indeed," said King Skales. "Our most sssacred tomb of our ancestorsss. One of the most protected placesss in the city. All kingsss are buried here after they fall, and it will one day be my resssting place as well." He shuddered, and added under his breath, "Though, hopefully not for a very long time."

Lil'Loyd snickered at his words. "I like this Skales more than mine, wanna trade?" he whispered to his counterpart.

Luh-Loyd snickered and replied, "Nah, I like him more too."

Skales led them through several passageways that split off into dizzying directions, and through several doors with difficult combinations and were obviously booby-trapped should they be opened wrong. Wherever they were going, it was heavily protected.

They finally reached the bottom of the temple, and it opened into a wide room with carvings all along the walls and armed Serpentine standing guard over four pedestals set near each corner.

And upon the four pedestals sat something that had Lil'Loyd's eyes widen in surprise.

"The Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu!" he exclaimed at the sight of them.

That once again drew every eye to him in surprise and this time with great deal of suspicion.

Seeing this, Koko drew closer to her sons, not liking how the snakes were now eyeing them like they'd delivered a great insult.

"How isss it you know of these weaponsss, child," said King Skales, looking down at him with an expression that was far more in line with his counterpart. "When they have passssed out of knowledge in human hissstory."

That explained the sudden malice. Lil'Loyd had just blurted out knowledge that he had no way of knowing. Not from this world at least. It was also likely knowledge that the Serpentine had been working to keep secret for ages with how heavily guarded they were, and they were _not_ happy to hear an outsider speak of them.

Lil'Loyd gulped at the heavy tension in the room and scrambled to find a reply. He grew even more fearful as he heard Skales' rattle shake, and his eyes glowed red with his hypnotic power.

Seeing his little brother so afraid, Luh-Loyd stepped between them and went still when the hypnotism took effect. Realizing this, Lil'Loyd reached up to grab his counterpart's hand and try to shake him out of it, but the hand remained slack in his grip.

"Lloyd," whispered Koko in worry, but made no move to stop the King. She knew they were in a dangerous position right now.

King Skales quirked an eye-ridge at the Green Ninja's protective actions but seemed satisfied to have him under his thrall. He only needed one to interrogate, and would not begrudge the ninja for protecting a hatchling.

"SSSpeak the truth," said King Skales to the hypnotized blond. "How would he know of ancient secretsss?"

"His birth mother was an archeologist," Luh-Loyd replied in a voice devoid of emotion. "She used to explore ancient tombs all the time looking for lost legends. She told stories of many things long forgotten to us and our friends."

While it wasn't why Lil'Loyd knew about the Golden Weapons, Luh-Loyd's words were all true. Misako _had_ been an archeologist but had recently retired to reconnect with her family at Sensei Garmadon's monastery and help manage Sensei Wu's tea shop. She did, in fact, enjoy telling all of them stories about her many travels, and the ancient secrets she had dug up while on them.

"Where isss she now?" demanded Skales.

"She is no longer in this world," said Luh-Loyd dutifully in his expressionless tone.

Also true. Misako had come to visit the previous weekend and had left shortly before they set out to come here, but that wasn't what his words had implied.

King Skales' expression morphed to one of pity. "My condolencesss," he said down to Lil'Loyd, who was still clutching Luh-Loyd's hand and trying to will him awake.

"If you really felt sssuch, you would let the poor boy go. You have your answersss," said a female voice behind them.

They turned to see a pink Hypnobrai wearing a tiara and flowing robe step into the tomb, and look at the king with a disapproving expression.

King Skales looked taken aback at her entrance. "SSSelma," he said. "I had to be sure we had not been exposssed."

"Well, now you know we haven't," said Selma, crossing her arms expectantly. "The woman who found our sssecrets is dead, and you were going to tell the Charmer IronDragon and the Green Ninja of the weaponsss anyway, ssso they could have the Ninja Force help usss protect them. There isss no harm done."

She then turned to look down at Lil'Loyd. "I'm sssorry to hear about your mother, young one," she said in a more sympathetic tone. "I couldn't imagine if my ssson was left on hisss own. I am sure she would be happy you are being cared for by Charmer IronDragon."

Lil'Loyd only nodded at her words. Misako wasn't dead, but he wasn't about to tell them that.

Selma then turned to Skales, and said, "Releassse him. Or else you gravely insssult our Charmer further by controlling her ssson."

King Skales let out a sigh, and a blue fog wafted from his scepter and into Luh-Loyd's face. Instantly, the teenager let out a gasp and jerked back to life as the hypnotism lifted. Koko was at his side a moment later, and Lil'Loyd let out a relieved cheer.

"My apologiesss," said the king. "But these weaponsss' safety wasss entrusted to usss by your grandfather. Even hisss own sonsss do not know of them. I had to be sure our sssacred duty had not been compromisssed."

Luh-Loyd waved it off. "I get it," he said. "You were trying to do the right thing for your people." He then grimaced and rubbed his head, a headache forming from the brief hypnotism. "Though, I'd rather not do that again, thanks."

King Skales chuckled slightly at his words. "Again, I apologize." He then waved to the pink Hypnobrai, and said, "May I introduce you to my wife, SSSelma. She isss the mossst knowledgeable of these artifactsss and their hissstory."

Queen Selma gave them a kind smile. "Indeed. I have ssstudied them for mossst of my life."

Koko, satisfied her son was alright, stepped forwards. "Then let's figure out how to save the world, shall we," she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now we have the main mystery of the movie world. Who is attacking the Serpentine. Is it the Golden Master? Is it a hoax? We'll find out soon enough. There's a lot of world-building in this chapter. This is my imagining of what the Serpentine's city would have been like if there hadn't been a war in like in the show world. Am I right? Who knows. It was fun to come up with at least.
> 
> Show Lloyd=Lil'Loyd, Movie Lloyd=Luh-Loyd
> 
> Thanks again to Kay Hau for helping in planning and beta reading this chapter. She was a big help in planning out this plot and how it plays out from here. I really appreciate it.
> 
> Next Time: The Lloyds inform their teams of what they learned from the Serpentine, and some uncomfortable parallels are drawn.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lloyds inform their teams of what they learned from the Serpentine, and some uncomfortable parallels are drawn.

_Movie Ninjago_

"So this Golden Master guy is supposed to steal the Golden Weapons, become all-powerful and destroy the world, is that it?" asked Cliff Cole, his arms crossed thoughtfully.

He and both sets of the ninja teams were sitting in the warehouse where the Ninja Force stored their mechs for their weekly meet up and listening to the Lloyds recount what they'd seen and heard on their journey.

"Pretty much," said Lil'Loyd.

"So, what about those signs?" asked Freckles Jay nervously. "Is he really going to come and attack us?"

"We were actually able to explain some of the signs to them," said Luh-Loyd. "The Serpentine aren't too in touch with human culture, so some of it was just stuff we did that they misinterpreted." He then frowned. "But there was some stuff we couldn't really explain either. We promised we'd look into it and find out if it's a real threat or not."

"Some of what they thought were signs were funny though," said Lil'Loyd with a grin.

"Like what?" asked Zen Zane.

Lil'Loyd gave his best wicked grin and held up his hands dramatically, "Like the Metallic Structure of Tortured Souls!" he said in his spookiest voice. "Where the screams of agony of its victims can be heard for miles around!"

The others looked mildly alarmed at that description.

"What could they mistake for that?" asked Spike Kai.

Lil'Loyd lowered his arms and grinned, "This world's Mega Monster Amusement Park," he said mischievously.

"Ooooh," said everyone. That made more sense.

"So, what are the other signs?" asked Buddy Kai.

The Lloyds exchanged glances.

"Well, the ones we could explain were these," said Luh-Loyd, listing them off. "An insatiable, giant beast running amuck."

"Meowthra," said Lil'Loyd, pointing over to Luh-Loyd. "Summoned by him, and _not _insatiable. She's a good kitty."

"A cold lifeless army attacking all who come across it," said Luh-Loyd.

"Dr. Gary hacking Uncle Garm's robots," said Lil'Loyd. "Nothing mystical about it."

"The earth quaking unnaturally throughout Ninjago," said Luh-Loyd.

"We checked the times they said it happened, and Luh-Loyd says it was DJ Cole practicing his element," said Lil'Loyd with a grin.

"A mysterious land mass appearing to forewarn destruction," said Luh-Loyd, smirking slightly as he said that one.

Lil'Loyd pointed at his counterpart again. "He says they found you guys' training ground, whatever that means."

The local ninja all exchanged glances and snickered, realizing what he meant.

"Uh, are we missing a joke?" asked Red Nya.

"We decided to test our limits out in the desert a few months back," said Cyan Nya with a grin. "Now that we know Luh-Loyd can boost us to unreal levels, we needed to know how far we could take it."

"Specifically, how much we can handle before we experienced injuries such as yours when you held up Ninjago City," said Pep Zane, gesturing to Cliff Cole.

Cliff rubbed his shoulders at the memory. "Don't remind me," he said with a wince. "I thought I'd never move again that hurt so much."

Pep expression brightened, and he held his right hand up in a pinching position close to his face. "One does not simply use such powers without consequence," he said with a regal accent.

His teammates groaned. "Zane, please no memes," said Freckles Jay, pinching his brow.

"Wait, so what does that have to do with some 'mysterious landmass'?" asked Nick Jay with air quotes.

The local ninja grinned.

"Everything," said DJ Cole.

"We'll have to show it to you later," said Buddy, "but using our elements at full throttle out there made something, well, kind of amazing."

"The heat from the fire and lightning turned much of the sand to glass, and add to that DJ Cole's changes in the landscape and Cyan Nya and myself's water and ice, the results were really quite beautiful," explained Pep.

The interdimensional ninja all stared in surprise. That must be a sight to see.

Luh-Loyd chuckled. "It was pretty hard to convince King Skales that we were the ones who made it, not some malevolent force," he said. "I think I managed it, but he still doesn't fully believe it. He didn't realize you guys were that powerful."

"Are there any other signs?" asked Zen Zane.

Lil'Loyd hummed. "None that we could explain. All the others were the ones we're supposed to check out."

"Like what?" asked Red.

"Apparently, one sign is for a golden light to appear in the sky," said Luh-Loyd. "We couldn't think of anything that could explain that. Also, there have apparently been sightings of a giant snake around, as in bigger than a regular Serpentine giant."

"But not Great Devourer big," said Lil'Loyd. "And from the reports, it's not growing or turning people evil, so it's not that. But it's supposed to be the Golden Master's pet, so it's probably not a good thing."

"Another one is that the Serpentine are supposed to vanish off the surface of the earth," said Luh-Loyd, his face turning to a frown. "That's the most concerning one. Apparently, already there have been reports of Serpentine people vanishing from the outer villages."

"They couldn't have just wandered off on their own?" asked Nick. "The desert life isn't for everybody. Trust me, I would know."

"One or two, yeah, that could be it," said Luh-Loyd. "But over a dozen at once is just too unlikely. And all from different villages too. Not to mention, there have been signs of a struggle in their homes. Wherever they went, they didn't go willingly."

"Huh," said Spike Kai. "Takes someone pretty tough to take down a Serpentine."

"Not necessarily," said Zen Zane. "From what he is saying, I would assume those taken are civilians."

"Yup," said Lil'Loyd with a nod. "Skales said all the snakes taken so far haven't been soldiers."

"Might not be too tough then, if it's going after those who can't fight back," said DJ thoughtfully.

"So they just got snatched from their house?" asked Freckles Jay. "Yikes! I'd hate to be a snake right now."

Luh-Loyd nodded. "The Serpentine people are definitely getting scared. It's why King Skales finally called us in. To track down the signs, and hopefully prove them false. Or, if need be, take down this Golden Master guy if he really is about to show up."

"GAAAAHHH!" Nick Jay suddenly screamed, making all of them jump.

Freckles, who was startled the most by his outburst, gasped for breath and struggled to ask, "W-What? What is it?"

"I just thought of something!" Nick said, looking freaked out. "Those signs you just talked about, they've been happening in our Ninjago too!"

That got him all of their undivided attention.

"What do you mean?" asked Zen.

"Think about it!" said Nick. "An insatiable giant beast and/or giant snake? Sounds like the Great Devourer to me, which we _did _have in our Ninjago. Ninjago City _was_ shaking unnaturally when the Serpentine tried to level the place. The golden light in the sky could have been from Sensei G sending the Mega Weapon up into space. And the Serpentine disappearing, uh, _hello, _the Serpentine War! They were all banished underground, ergo, vanished off the face of the earth!"

His teammates exchanged concerned glances.

"Hate to say it, but he makes a good point," said Cliff Cole with a frown. "That's too many coincidences."

"The only ones missing are the suddenly-appearing landmass and the lifeless army," said Red Nya thoughtfully. "And the metal structure… unless it _is_ actually the amusement park."

"It is certainly concerning," said Zen Zane. "We should consult with our Senseis and Misako when we return. Perhaps they can shed some light on the matter."

Spike Kai sighed. "If they can't, we should probably track down some Serpentine to ask if this Golden Master legend is even a thing in our world too," he added reluctantly. "Just to make sure we're not barking up the wrong tree."

"Let us know if you need any help with that," said DJ Cole.

"Same with you guys," said Cliff. "We'll compare notes next meeting on what we find."

"We're still hoping it's just a hoax," said Luh-Loyd. "That there's some explanation for it aside from this Golden Master."

"Maybe someone is trying to make the Serpentine _think_ it's the Golden Master, but it's actually someone else?" said Freckles Jay thoughtfully.

His counterpart gave a snort. "Seriously? Who'd be crazy enough to do a thing like that?"

* * *

In a lavish mansion on its own island far off the coast of Ninjago, a door suddenly burst open and a loud bellow could be heard echoing through the house, rattling every glass fixture in the building.

"_CLOUSE!"_

Within one of the rooms that acted as a laboratory, the owner of that name let out a weary sigh and reached out to catch a beaker before it could fall off a table from the shaking. Stepping out of the lab, he straightened his lab clothes to look presentable and moved to meet the source of the shouting.

"You bellowed, sir," he said dryly as he came to a stop in front of his boss in his office.

As usual, he looked utterly ridiculous. He was wearing a suit and cape that's style was reminiscent of Dracula, but only if Dracula was colorblind and clashed the bright candy apple red of the suit with the violet of the cape. At least the cape matched the turban he was wearing, which was a lighter shade of purple with golden snake chain and clasp winding around it and holding it together. As it was, he looked more like a sideshow attraction at a carnival rather than the feared leader of an underground mafia.

But, unfortunately, he _was_ the leader of an underground mafia and the power that gave let him dress as ridiculously as he wanted to without anyone daring to say otherwise.

"Are you listening to me, Clouse!" the boss demanded, bringing Clouse back to the attention of his current temper tantrum.

"Yes, Master Chen," he said automatically, knowing that saying anything otherwise would not end well for him.

"Why did no one tell me that the Green Ninja and that-that _woman_ went to have a meeting with the Serpentine?" Chen demanded furiously.

Given the context of being with the Green Ninja and the utter disdain Chen had when he spoke of her, Clouse could only assume the woman he was referring to was the Lady IronDragon. However, he'd had no intel of either going within a hundred feet of a Serpentine village.

"Because we had no knowledge of it, sir," answered Clouse honestly. "This is the first I've heard of such a thing."

Chen let out a snarl and began stomping back and forth in front of his number one henchman. "Well, it happened," he fumed. "I just got a report of the Green Ninja, that clone brat, and _her_ actually having an audience with the king himself. Do you realize what this means for our plans, Clouse?"

Clouse opened his mouth to answer, but he needn't have bothered, as Chen continued without waiting for a reply. "They could be _ruined!_ If the Ninja Force or _she_ finds out what we're planning before we're ready, it'll all fall to _pieces!"_

He lent out a furious growl and toppled a priceless display of antiques in his rage. "It'd be just like _her_ to do it," he grumbled under his breath. "First she ruins my attempts to continue the war between the Serpentine and Garmadon with her _protection_ and _kindness_ and _peace_," he said, listing each word like they were infectious diseases. "But now _she_ could ruin my plan this time too! First, that inventor runs off and now _this!_"

He rounded to look at Clouse. "Tell me again why we can't just have her assassinated?"

Clouse sighed, having had to state this more times than he could count. "Unfortunately, sir, with the Lady IronDragon's identity now public, her son hailed as a hero, and her being on better terms with her ex-husband, she is simply too well protected to be a target. Especially when you are trying to _avoid_ setting the Ninja Force or Lord Garmadon on our trail."

Chen let out a loud groan, knowing he was right. "I should have had her and her brat killed when she was in exile. No one would have cared then. It was just too much fun to see them both tormented by the very people she fought so hard to protect. The irony was _delicious!_"

"Indeed, sir," said Clouse dryly, having heard all this before. "A wasted opportunity."

Chen huffed. "We'll just have to make sure they don't find anything out," he grumbled. He then grinned wickedly. "Which is where our little spy comes in."

As if on cue, the door to the manor opened, and a girl's voice called up, "I'm home!"

"Skylor!" called Chen, his expression morphing into an insincere look of fatherly affection for his daughter. "Come here, and tell me about your day."

Obediently, the girl came to join them in the office.

Chen went over to stand by his daughter with the expression still on his face. "Tell me, Daughter, how was your first week in the big city?" he asked in a tone that made it clear he wanted specific answers.

Skylor's expression was carefully composed into a mask of cold professionalism as she gave her report. "The first week in Ninjago City has gone well. No one suspects my true purpose, and blending in has been easy."

Chen's grin widened to hear this, and he continued, still acting as the doting father, "It's your first time at a public school, did you make any _friends?_"

"Unfortunately," said Skylor carefully, "I have been unable to make contact with the Green Ninja so far."

"That's not good. I was so hoping you would befriend him," Chen said, his voice pleasant, but the tight grip he now had on his daughter's left arm was anything but.

Skylor failed to conceal a small flash of fear across her face, but it was gone in a blink. "He's quite famous, Father," she said evenly. "Approaching him too soon would make me come off as one of his fangirls, and from what I've observed, he avoids those like the plague."

Chen let out a hum to show he understood, but his grip on her arm didn't lessen.

"But I do believe I have an in with him," she continued quickly. "One of the other members of the Ninja Force, the Fire Ninja, has been eager to help me fit in. Through him, I'm sure to meet the Green Ninja eventually."

Chen's grip on her loosened, but he didn't let go entirely. "Have you begun growing _close_ to him?" he asked pointedly.

Skylor carefully reached up with her free hand and a small flame appeared in her palm. "I'd say so," she said.

Chen's grin widened, and he looked to let her go, but Clouse spoke up before he could. "What drew his attention to you?" he asked.

Skylor hesitated before replying, "The day before I started school, he came across me fighting off some thugs in an alley."

Her father's grip on her left arm suddenly became like a vice, and he yanked her so that she was staring him in the face as he yelled, "HE SAW YOU FIGHT!"

"I didn't know he was watching, and he only saw me use martial arts!" Skylor protested rapidly, the fear now evident on her face. "He has no idea I have powers and was impressed with my fighting prowess! _Really_ impressed!" she emphasized, hoping that pointing out that this was how she had gotten his attention and was worth her blunder.

Chen glowered at her, studying her face for honesty, before slowly letting her go.

Skylor remained frozen, waiting for her father's verdict.

"Clearly, we must increase your training on being aware of your surroundings alongside learning to use your new fire abilities," said Chen slowly. He then reached out to pat Skylor on the shoulder, and said, "Good work, Daughter. I hope to see you continue to succeed. As your father, I only want what's best for you, and being surrounded by _powerful_ friends is a surefire way to secure your success. Do not fail me."

"Yes, Father," said Skylor, her face once again perfectly composed.

He then waved for her to leave, and she did so without another word.

It was only when the office door closed behind her and she was left alone in the hallway outside that Skylor let out a pained hiss and clutch the arm he'd bruised when he'd grabbed her.

With her head down, she headed for the kitchen to find something to use as an ice pack for the swelling. With practiced ease, she treated the bruise and mentally planned her next move to avoid it happening again. Looks like she'd have to wear a jacket instead of her vest until it healed.

It was really too bad. Kai was such a sweet guy.

But even he couldn't save her. No one could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I hope you're all having a great time! Welp, now we know who's behind all this, but the Ninja Force has no clue... yet. Instead of a cult leader with a wizard number two, Chen is the head of a mafia in this world with Clouse as his scientist right-hand man. They're not too fond of Koko, because they tried in the past to do what Show Chen did in the Serpentine War, but was derailed when Koko and Lord Garmadon fell in love and resolved the conflict. Poor Skylor's being made to spy on the Ninja Force and absorb their powers when she can. Chen is at least partially aware of the power of Green and wants her to absorb that as well, thinking she'd be able to boost her powers with it. Meanwhile, the Show Ninja are seeing an uncomfortable parallel between the events in their world and the Golden Master prophecy. Given that the Overlord hasn't awakened in their world, they might not see their version of the Golden Master, but that doesn't mean they won't look into it. Any guesses what the other signs are in the show world?
> 
> Show: Lil'Loyd, Cliff Cole, Spike Kai, Zen Zane, Nick Jay, Red Nya
> 
> Movie: Luh-Loyd, DJ Cole, Buddy Kai, Pep Zane, Freckles Jay, Cyan Nya
> 
> Major thanks to Kay Hau for Beta Reading this and helping me plan it. We worked together to come up with signs from the show that indicated the Golden Master, and much of the dynamic between Chen, Clouse, and Skylor was inspired by her awesome fic, Battery, which is a great read I highly recommend.
> 
> Next Time: The Show Ninja return to their world and ask their resident archeologist what she knows of the Golden Master. Meanwhile, Echo needs repairs, but getting him the right parts might be harder than expected.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Show Ninja return to their world and ask their resident archeologist what she knows of the Golden Master. Meanwhile, Echo needs repairs, but getting him the right parts might be harder than expected.

_Show Ninjago_

Talking to Misako was the first thing they did when they returned home to Steep Wisdom, Sensei Wu and Sensei Garmadon's monastery and tea shop.

"Golden Master?" she said after they explained the situation. Tapping her chin thoughtfully, she made her way past her husband and brother-in-law over to where her ancient scrolls were stored. "That does sound somewhat familiar, let me see."

As she searched for the relevant text, she called over her shoulder. "What were the signs again?"

Lloyd began counting them off. "Uh, it was a metal structure of tortured souls, some giant hungry monster that's probably a snake, weird earthquakes, an army of lifeless soldiers, um… oh, golden lights in the sky, some landmass appearing out of nowhere, and uhhh the Serpentine disappearing." He frowned to himself and counted them again before nodding. "Yeah, that's all of them."

The two senseis exchanged glances at his words.

Seeing this, Kai sent them a wry grin. "Sound familiar?"

"Alarmingly so," Sensei Garmadon said.

"The Great Devourer, the Mega Weapon's departure, the results of the Serpentine War and their subsequent attempt at revenge," said Sensei Wu thoughtfully. "All are events we have seen in recent times."

"And that we have contributed to," said Sensei Garmadon looking guilty. "Some more than others."

"Yeah, we recognized them too," said Cole.

"_I_ recognized them," Jay interjected pointedly.

Cole rolled his eyes, but continued, "If this Golden Master guy is a thing here like he is in the other Ninjago, then we're like three signs away from him getting here."

"Depending on whether or not Mega Monster Amusement Park counts as a 'metal structure of tortured souls'," added Jay with air quotes.

"I really doubt it," said Nya, shaking her head. "Screams or not, there's no tortured souls there. Well, _maybe_ the park employees, but that's a bit of a stretch."

"Have you ever come across such things in your research, Misako?" asked Zane curiously.

"As a matter of fact, I have," she said, pulling free some of her scrolls.

She moved to a table where she could lay them out for all to see. "As you can see," she said, pointing at the pictures and scribbles detailed on the ancient paper. "The scrolls say the earthquakes would be a warning. A warning for something far worse to come. When the Serpentine caused Ninjago City to shake to its foundation, I had worried that we were running out of time."

"Out of time for what?" asked Lloyd curiously, looking at the picture on the scroll of dark hands reaching up out of the ground.

Misako laid out more scrolls for them to see. "That the prophecy, _your_ prophecy would soon come true," she said.

Lloyd blinked up at her in surprise.

"You mean the Prophecy of the Green Ninja?" asked Kai, placing a hand on Lloyd's shoulder.

"Yes," said Misako. "The earthquakes were supposed to warn that the final battle between the Green Ninja and the Dark Lord would soon take place. I believe I know of your other missing signs as well," she said, pointing at the relevant ones. "There was a part of the prophecy that you don't know. That the coming battle of good and evil would cause the reemergence of a place called the Dark Island, where the First Spinjitzu Master sealed away an unspeakable evil. It was with the power held on the island that the Dark Lord was to plunge the world into eternal darkness."

Sensei Garmadon let out a tired sigh. "Yes, that does sound like something I would seek out were I still under the influence of the Devourer's venom. Especially if I were to grow desperate."

"Did you know about this sensei?" asked Zane to Wu.

Wu sighed as well. "I had hoped that if I never spoke of that vile place, it would remain forgotten."

Nya frowned thoughtfully. "A sealed away island that could suddenly appear," she said. "That sounds like the mysterious landmass they were talking about."

"What about the lifeless army and the metal structure?" asked Kai.

"The evil locked away on the island had such an army," said Misako, pointing at another scroll. "An army forged of indestructible stone that was found there and could be controlled by the Dark Lord. One that is supposedly hidden here in Ninjago and would awaken with the earthquakes."

"Stone is pretty lifeless," agreed Jay, looking unnerved.

"But if there was an army made of rocks that got woken up by the quakes, wouldn't we have heard about it by now?" asked Cole.

"I thought the same," said Misako. "I was even able to find one of the fabled stone warriors in a dig under the city. It is in the museum right now as part of an upcoming exhibit. But when the quakes happened, it did not awaken."

"So it may be safe to assume that if that one did not, then the rest haven't either," said Zane.

"We can only hope so," said Sensei Wu.

"What about the last one?" asked Lloyd, not finding this much fun anymore since it was related to his own supposed destiny.

Misako pointed at a final scroll, an angry red one with nightmarish drawings. "For or the metal structure, the nearest I can find would be this. It describes a celestial clock that when triggered would count down to the activation of an unspeakable weapon," she said.

They were silent as they took that in. It was sounding a lot like this prophecy was shared between their worlds.

"However," Misako continued, drawing their attention back to her. "There is no mention of any Golden Master on any of these scrolls. They all pertain to the Prophecy of the Green Ninja and his battle with the Dark Lord. It also makes no mention of the Golden Weapons as well, aside from the First Spinjitzu Master's use of them to create the world."

"So it's not a perfect fit, but then nothing between our two worlds has been," said Cole. "It's still close enough that this could be our version of it, just with a different bad guy."

"But maybe the Dark Lord and the Golden Master _are_ the same guy," said Jay.

Kai shook his head. "Nah, that's too much of a stretch. It doesn't fit with Garmadon's counterpart since that would make him the Golden Master like Sensei G was the Dark Lord. And don't forget, the giant snake monster is supposed to be the Golden Master's pet, and if that's the Great Devourer…"

Catching on, Sensei Garmadon gave a wry smile. "Agreed," he said. "I have no love for the Great Devourer, and am more than happy at its destruction."

Jay looked unconvinced but uninterested in arguing about it. Instead, he shrugged. "Oh well, bullet dodged. Lloyd splashed a cure on him, and now the prophecy won't happen. We're in the clear, right?"

"That does seem to be the case," Misako agreed, rolling her scrolls back up to put them away. "I can think of no other reason why some of the signs would appear, but then cut off without the rest of them following soon after." She smiled. "Even if it wasn't myself who caused it, I am grateful you were able to subvert destiny."

"You said it," said Lloyd.

"It is a fact I'm sure we are all grateful for," Sensei Garmadon agreed.

"Still next time we see them, we should ask the Serpentine for their side of the legend, just to be sure," said Cole.

The rest of them nodded in agreement.

* * *

A few hours later had Zane, Jay, and Nya entering the small house Dr. Julia had gotten after they had rescued him from the island.

"Father, Echo, I'm home!" called Zane as they headed for the workshop.

The door opened, and Dr. Julian came out with a bright smile. "Zane, you're right on time. Come in, come in."

"Hi, Dr. Julian," called Nya as she and Jay came forward as well.

The doctor gave them a friendly nod, "Ah, nice to see you too…" he trailed off and squinted at them through his glasses.

"Jay and Nya," Jay reminded him. "Zane's friends, remember."

Dr. Julian's expression brightened. "Right," he said as the memory returned to him. "The ones who are good with mechanics, yes?"

"That's us," said Nya.

"Wonderful, nice to see you… again?" Dr. Julian asked, looking like he was having trouble remembering if they'd met before.

"They were here for dinner a few days ago, Father," said Zane gently.

Finally, the memory seemed to slot into place, and Dr. Julian nodded. "Right, yes, now I remember. Thank you for offering your help."

The doctor then turned and headed into the workshop, leaving the three teenagers hesitating at the door.

"He's getting worse, isn't he?" asked Nya sympathetically.

Zane's expression fell, and he nodded at her words. "Sadly, yes. He seems to be having a harder and harder time remembering anything past when Samukai revived him with that tea. Without near-constant reminders he forgets anything new far faster now. He doesn't even recall being held prisoner in the lighthouse anymore."

The couple exchanged uneasy glances. Given how long Dr. Julian was trapped there, that was not good.

"At least he remembers you alright," offered Jay in an attempt to cheer him up. "You were around before that, so you're firmly in his brain."

The attempt didn't really work. "Yes, he always remembers me, but no one else," Zane said with a sigh. "Sometimes not even my brother, and I know that is hurting them both."

"Well, that's what we're here to help with," said Nya.

Zane gave a grateful smile, and he opened the door to the workshop.

Almost immediately, a bronze blur came tumbling out and fell on top of him with a crash.

Jay and Nya both covered their mouths to hide snickers.

"Welcome home, Big Brother," said Echo Zane cheerfully from on top of him.

Despite being knocked off his feet, Zane graced his little brother with a smile. "Good to be home, Echo."

The two Nindroids climbed back to their feet, but as they did so, Echo's arm fell off and clattered to the floor.

Seeing this, Jay reached down to pick up the arm and held it out to Echo. "Need a hand?" he asked with a cheesy grin.

Echo looked startled to see him and Nya there and shyly hid behind Zane.

Nya, meanwhile, groaned at the terrible pun. "Really? You couldn't help yourself, could you," she said wryly.

"What can I say, it's a classic," said Jay unapologetically.

"I don't believe it's a classic so much as it is simply terrible," said Zane as he took the arm from his friend and returned it to his brother.

"Everyone's a critic," Jay said with a roll of his eyes. He then grinned at Echo. He'd not gotten as much of a chance to interact with the bronze nindroid of this world, but he got along great with his counterpart in the other Ninjago and was looking forward to hanging out with this one too. "Nice to see you again. You remember us from dinner the other night, right?" he asked.

Echo nodded slowly but was still mostly hidden behind Zane.

"I'm afraid my Echo is not as… chatty as his counterpart," said Zane when he saw Jay slump in disappointment at that response. Turning to his brother, the Master of Ice said, "It's alright, my brother. They're here to help."

Echo slowly inched out from behind Zane and looked at them shyly.

Seeing Echo's arm was still clutched in his hand, Jay offered, "Let us help you with that."

Echo hesitated and glanced at Zane for support. At his brother's encouraging nod, Echo held the arm back out for them, and Nya and Jay set about reattaching it to his body. Ever since finding him and this world's Dr. Julian in the lighthouse, they'd been trying to upgrade Echo's rusted body, but the poor sheltered Nindroid had proven very nervous about the idea, especially with outside help involved.

Soon enough, the limb was back in place, and Echo was flexing and testing it out. Seeing it working again, he shyly gave them a quiet, "Thank you."

Nya and Jay grinned. "That's what we're here for," said Nya.

The four of them then headed into the workshop where Dr. Julian was standing in a slight daze, though it quickly cleared at the sight of them.

"Right," the doctor said, clapping his hands together. "We're here to discuss ways to modify Echo without any…" he paused to find the right word for it, "... interruptions."

Neither Echo or any of the ninja said anything to contradict him. They all knew they were there to help both with the repairs, and to keep the doctor from forgetting about Echo in the middle of fixing him.

"So, what's the plan, Doc?" asked Jay as he made his way over to where the doctor had several blueprints laid out. "A tune-up? New internal processors? Oh, what about titanium plating?"

Dr. Julian seemed surprised and pleased with his enthusiasm. "Well, when you put it like that, I wouldn't know where to start."

Echo didn't look too thrilled at the list.

"Perhaps it would be best if we start with making sure Echo doesn't fall apart again," said Zane, glancing over at Echo. "And maybe something to help with the rust."

At the mention of it, Echo looked down at his fairly rusted body. Despite being away from the salty and humid sea air, and regular maintenance on his parts, his body was still prone to corrode at a rapid pace.

Nya walked over to where Dr. Julian's blueprints for both Zane and Echo were and frowned at them.

"Uh, I think we have a slight problem," she said to the others, drawing their attention to her.

"What is it Nya?" asked Zane in concern.

Nya pointed at the parts listed on the blueprints. "Dr. Julian, are these all the parts that we'd need to fix Echo?"

"Why yes," replied the doctor. "They're all what I used to build Zane years ago. I thought using them again would be the best way to upgrade Echo."

"And there aren't any substitutes or other things we can use instead?" asked Nya.

Dr. Julian frowned at that. "Why fix what isn't broken?" he asked. "Zane's design is perfect as it is." He then frowned as he seemed to remember something else. "Well, almost perfect," he said with a disapproving glance at his older son.

Zane took the look in stride. "If you are referring to my decision to have my memory switch removed, then please know I regret nothing."

Dr. Julian huffed at that response but didn't seem eager to start another argument about it. Instead, he turned back to Nya. "So to answer your question, no, I don't have any plans to use any other components."

"I was afraid you'd say that," said Nya with a grimace.

"Why?" asked Jay. He walked over to look at the blueprints as well and was quick to see what Nya had mean. "Ooooh," he said in understanding.

"What is it?" asked Zane, neither him nor Echo not liking the sound of that at all.

"Uh, hate to tell you guys this, but most of these parts are, um, obsolete," said Jay slowly. "They stopped making them _years_ ago."

Dr. Julian looked startled to hear this. "Obsolete?" he asked. "Really? There's no way to get them at all?"

Jay scratched the back of his head. "Well, we could probably find some of them at my parents' junkyard, but I can't promise all of them, or that they'll be in good shape if we do."

"While I appreciate the offer, I'm not building my sons out of scraps. Not again," said Dr. Julian with a disapproving frown.

"Are there any other things you can use instead?" asked Nya again. "Anything more modern that would be easier to get ahold of."

Dr. Julian hesitated. "I-I don't know," he admitted. "It's possible there are components that would work instead, but… The world has changed so much since our life in that tree. I'm not familiar enough with the technology of today to trust it. I could do research, but with my memory…"

He trailed off, and they all knew what he meant. With his memory being so patchy, it would be difficult to stay on task and even if he found things that would work, he'd have to remember how to use them when the time came.

"We'll help you out," offered Nya. "I'm sure if we all put our heads together we can come up with something."

"I'm happy to help too," said Jay. "But we don't even know where to start. Where do you go to get Nindroid parts?"

At that moment, Echo's other arm fell off and knocked against a work desk as it fell. Doing so knocked a small cube on it to the floor where it began to glow brightly.

Startled at the sight, Echo abandoned his arm and hurried to hide behind Zane and Jay to get away from the strange light.

"What is that thing, father?" asked Zane, just as surprised as his brother to see the glowing cube. "Another invention."

Dr. Julian adjusted his glasses and studied the cube, before shaking his head. "No, it- I believe it arrived in the mail the other day, but I didn't know what it was, and forgot about it until now."

A bright light began shining out of the top of the cube, and a holographic screen appeared for all of them to see.

On the screen a dark-haired man with glasses peered out at them, "Greetings," he said in a friendly tone, waving at them. "My name is Cyrus Borg."

"Hi, Cyrus Borg," said Jay. "Why are you in our friend's dad's workshop?"

Cyrus Borg continued without seeming to hear Jay's question. "This is a holographic recording my company, Borg Industries, has recently created."

"Oh," said Jay.

"Shh," hissed Nya and Zane.

"I am sending it to you in order to extend an invitation for you to come and tour my company," said Borg cheerfully. "I am a big fan of your work, Dr. Julian. Your pioneering in the robotics industry has been invaluable to achieve the level of technology we have reached in modern times. It would be an honor for you to come and extend your expertise to our projects, especially the ones you have had a hand in developing, such as vehicles, drone technology, and, of course, your work in the development of androids."

Those in the workshop exchanged an interested glance at that last word.

"I, myself, have made an android based on what you have released of your designs," said Borg. "However, your insight on what we can do to improve would be most welcome. Please feel free to contact me however you like and we will arrange a tour."

The hologram then shut off, leaving them all to consider the invitation.

"Well, Jay, ask and ye shall receive," said Zane.

"This is perfect," Jay agreed with a grin. "I've heard about Borg. He's pretty much single-handedly bringing all that cool future technology you see in sci-fi into reality. With his company, it won't be long until we have things like flying cars and hoverboards all over the place."

"And if he's really made his own androids, he might know which parts can work to modify a Nindroid's systems and which ones won't work," added Nya cheerfully.

"It does seem to be the best solution to our problem," agreed Zane, turning to his brother. "What do you think, Echo?"

Echo eyed the cube that had displayed the hologram dubiously. "I don't want it," he said.

That got everyone's attention to him. "What do you mean?" Zane asked.

Echo hesitated and picked at his empty arm socket, and said, "Upgrades are scary. I don't want a stranger to do it."

Dr. Julian let out a laugh. "Not to worry, Echo. I have no intention of letting anyone else modify you. We would only contact this man for the necessary parts. Zane's friends and I will be the ones to actually do it."

Echo didn't seem convinced. "But what if the parts are bad?" he asked.

"We'll check them over thoroughly before we use any of them," Jay assured him, once again retrieving Echo's arm and reattaching it. "We just need to know what works and what doesn't."

But Echo still looked scared at the idea. He'd been nervous about the update to start with, and this addition to the mess was not a welcome one for him.

Thinking it over, Zane remembered how Kai had gotten Lloyd to go to the dentist a week ago, and offered a solution. "What if… I got an upgrade alongside you. Would that make you more comfortable, Echo?"

Everyone turned to stare at him in surprise.

"You, Zane?" asked Nya.

"Yes," said Zane, still looking at Echo. "If I show you that getting an upgrade is not scary, would you be more willing to have one, Echo?"

"But you don't need an upgrade, Zane," said Dr. Julian. "You're perfect just the way you are."

Zane glanced at his father and said, "There is always room for improvement. And perhaps replacing some parts would make things easier in the future if I were to get hurt. And if it makes things better for Echo, isn't it worth it?"

Dr. Julian still didn't look happy, but relented with an, "I suppose." He then glanced at his other son. "What do you think, Echo?"

Echo's nervousness melted into a smile, and he nodded.

Zane smiled at him. "Then it's decided."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now they know the signs hint at the return of the Overlord, but not the Overlord himself. The Wu and Misako are still keeping that little tidbit to themselves. Still, they think they're in the clear since the signs stopped with the curing of Sensei Garmadon, so maybe they have nothing to worry about. Still, Echo needs some fixing so he stops falling apart. Here's hoping Borg can help out with that. If it's not obvious, this story takes place earlier in the Ninjago timeline than season 3 of the show. Dr. Julien is still alive, and Ninjago City hasn't become 'New' Ninjago City just yet. Good thing too, as Echo needs all the help he can get.
> 
> Big thanks to Kay Hau for helping with this chapter. I admit I was focusing too much on the movie side of things in the initial planning, and she encouraged me to go back and write this chapter to balance things out. The storyline where Echo needs new parts was one we both came up with.
> 
> Next Time: Nya starts putting her test into effect. Here's hoping Penny and Skylor are up to snuff.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nya starts putting her test into effect. Here's hoping Penny and Skylor are up to snuff.

_Movie Ninjago_

When school started again on Monday, Nya had a plan to start her tests. All it took to arrange it was a quick talk with her history teacher, and a few innocent comments.

By lunchtime, everything was prepared, and all she had left to do was inform the subjects of the Nya Test of the change in their plans.

As soon as she entered the cafeteria, Nya had her targets in sight, and she made her way over to the first in a casual stroll.

When she came to a stop in front of her, she asked, "Hey, you're Penny, right?"

Penny Trixie Allens looked up from her lunch in surprise. Given how she seemed cut off from everyone else in the school, it was rare for anyone to approach her at lunchtime.

"Yes, I am," Penny said, wondering why the Water Ninja would be approaching her.

"I'm Nya, we share a history class," said Nya. "And as of right now, we're partners for that project Ms. Jones set up two weeks ago. Well, us and one other girl."

Penny blinked in bewilderment. "I thought I would be partnering with Chad for that project," she said.

"You were," said Nya. "And originally I was going to partner with Farris. But Ms. Jones found out that both of them only partnered with us because we're, quote, 'Nerd Girls' end quote, and wanted us to do all the work on the project so they could get an easy grade. So Ms. Jones partnered them together to force them to actually do it, thus making us partners too."

Penny frowned down at her plate at the news. "I was beginning to suspect those were his intentions when he would not reply to my emails to plan our project," she admitted, not looking too broken up about the news. Looking back up at Nya, she asked, "Then who is the third you mentioned? I thought this project was for only two partners."

"Yeah, but then we got a new girl and now the class is uneven," said Nya with a shrug. "There's still enough time to do the whole project, especially if we combine what you and I've already got done, so there's no reason for her not to take part, and since Ms. Jones was changing things up anyway, she got added to us."

Penny nodded. "I see. Has she been informed of this arrangement?" she asked.

"Was just about to tell her after you," said Nya with a friendly grin. "Wanna come with?"

Penny considered the offer for a bit, before slowly standing from her seat, picking up her lunch tray, and following after Nya.

The Water Ninja led the way to where Skylor was sitting with her brother away from their team's usual lunch table. Kai was in the process of explaining the school's absentee online program to Skylor when they approached.

"Sup, bro," said Nya as she sat at the table next to him. Penny shyly followed her example and sat next to Skylor.

Kai looked startled, but then shot his sister a suspicious glare, trying to gauge why she was there. "Hey, sis, what's up."

"Skylor's now on me and Penny's history project team, that's what," Nya replied.

Skylor looked surprised at that news. "I am?" she asked.

Kai relaxed marginally. "Oh, really, awesome," he said, mistakenly thinking this wasn't part of her Nya Test. "But, weren't you both set up with someone else?"

"Yeah, but they were both planning to bum off us for an easy A," said Nya gesturing to both herself and Penny. "And since we're changing that, might as well add Skylor into the mix."

"This project _is_ worth a significant portion of our grade," added Penny helpfully. "It does make sense Ms. Jones would wish for you to take part in it, if for nothing else to avoid having to come up with a replacement."

"Huh," said Skylor as she took in that information. She then sent both Nya and Penny a cheeky smile. "But what if I try to bum an easy A off both of you?"

Nya snorted in amusement, and Penny replied, "Then I am sure Ms. Jones would be happy to move you into Farris and Chad's group instead."

Skylor laughed at her blunt response. "Got it," she said with a grin. "I'll be sure to pull my weight. What's the project about anyway?"

Nya sent her brother a pointed look, and he raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I'm going," he said, getting up from the table. He gave the other two girls a friendly wave as he left. "See you around, Skylor. Nice talking to you, Penny."

At the other two girls' confused looks, Nya explained, "Ms. Jones and some other teachers used to be kinda strict on the two of us. They thought for sure we'd cheat off each other being twins in the same grade and in the same house. So we'd always make sure to keep our projects as separate as possible."

"Why would she think that?" asked Skylor in confusion. "Aren't you two of the city's heroes? I'd think it was the opposite, and she'd think you could do no wrong."

Nya let out a slightly bitter laugh. "She does kinda think that _now. _But…"

"That wasn't always the case," said Penny sympathetically, having been there to witness the transformation the school had undergone.

Skylor looked confused.

"You're from outside of Ninjago City, aren't you," said Nya rhetorically.

"That obvious?" said Skylor sheepishly.

"Well, you'd kind of have to be to not know," said Nya with a shrug. "Before Lloyd dramatically unmasked himself off on live TV to show everyone he was the Green Ninja, this used to be a very different school environment for the entire Ninja Force."

"How so?" asked Skylor in honest curiosity.

Penny and Nya exchanged uncomfortable glances. Nya at the memory of those times, and while Penny had never approved or taken part in the rampant bullying directed at them and she hadn't attempted to help them either.

"You are aware of Lord Garmadon, correct?" said Penny slowly.

Skylor snorted. "Who isn't."

Nya sighed and said, "Well, Lloyd's been me and Kai's best friend since we were little, and let's just say that before we were known heroes, it wasn't exactly seen as a good thing to be friends with a Garmadon."

Skylor caught what she meant and winced. "Yikes," she said. "I heard the rumors of what people thought of him and his mom, but I didn't know it extended to his friends too. That can't have been easy."

Nya frowned down at the table. "Who wants to do things the easy way when you can do them the right way," she muttered more to herself than the other two girls. Looking back up at Skylor, she said, "Anyway, Ms. Jones doesn't do that anymore, but it's pretty much habit at this point."

Skylor gave her a sympathetic look and Penny looked guilty for her lack of aid when it was happening.

Seeing this, Nya shook herself. "Okay, enough depressing stuff, back to the project," she said, reaching into her backpack to pull out her notes. "Here's what I've got so far on the theorized events of Ninjago from before written history. What have you got, Penny? Maybe we can combine them."

They began discussing the project and making plans to meet up and work on it later.

* * *

A few tables over, the five other Ninja were all blatantly staring at the girls' table. Or at least, the three boys who had crushes on the girls there were staring.

"They're talking a lot, aren't they?" said Jay as he watched them. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"Um, probably the project," said Lloyd, thinking that should be obvious. "We should probably talk about that too, you're my partner for it, Jay. We should really work on that more."

Jay waved a dismissive hand at him, his focus still on the girls. "Yeah, yeah, after school, okay."

"But we've got the stakeout in the desert after school," Lloyd protested. "You know, our current mission. For the Serpentine."

"Then we'll do it then," said Jay, still barely paying him any attention.

Lloyd rolled his eyes but knew that was probably the best he was going to get.

Zane frowned slightly. "Nya looks upset," he said, observing their facial expressions for clues. "As does Penny. Do you think she is doing poorly on the test?"

Kai let out a nervous laugh. "Hehe, it-it's not about the Nya Test, right?" he said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself of it. "Nya's just over talking about the project with Zane's crush… without me… and with Skylor…" His confidence broke, and he groaned. "Oh man, you don't think she's found out I like Skylor, do you?" he asked the others worriedly.

"From you? Impossible," said Cole dryly. "You're the master of subtly."

Kai was apparently desperate enough to completely miss the sarcasm. "Phew, that's good," he sighed in relief. "For a second there I thought I was busted."

"Shh, I can almost make out what they're saying," Jay hissed.

"Would it be too invasive if I attempt to read their lips?" asked Zane curiously.

"Uhh, maybe," said Kai, looking like he wanted him to do it anyway.

Lloyd and Cole exchanged disbelieving glances at their friends' antics.

If this was what love did to you, they both hoped that for them it took a long time coming.

* * *

It was Penny who noticed it first.

"Are you aware that your teammates have been staring at us for the last five minutes?" she asked Nya, glancing at them over the Water Ninja's shoulder.

Hearing this, Skylor subtly peered around Nya as well. "Huh, they are," she said. "I wonder why?"

Nya blinked and quirked an eyebrow at that, and turned to look behind her.

Seeing her looking in their direction, Kai, Jay, and Zane immediately tried (and utterly failed) to act like they hadn't just been staring holes into her back. Her brother turned around and began eating his food at a rapid speed as if he'd been doing that the entire time, Jay practically shrank into his scarf like a turtle and looked anywhere but at Nya, and Zane started staring at the ceiling and whistling to himself.

Her only two sane teammates shot her apologetic looks, but Lloyd could only give a helpless shrug and Cole rolled his eyes and shook his head at the others' antics.

Pretending she hadn't noticed, Nya turned back to Penny and Skylor. "Are they staring again?" she asked, annoyance creeping into her voice.

Penny leaned slightly to the right, just enough to see without drawing attention to herself. "Yes," she replied.

Nya felt her eyebrow begin to twitch.

"Do you know why they're doing it?" asked Skylor, slightly confused why this was happening.

Nya rolled her eyes. "Oh, I have an idea," she said. "Doesn't mean they should be doing it."

Skylor tried to laugh it off. "It'd be creepy if they weren't the ninja," she said.

"Nope," said Nya as she prepared to stand up. "It's still creepy. Excuse me while I go soak those nerds for eavesdropping."

"I don't mind," said Penny.

Nya paused halfway out of her seat, and she and Skylor looked at the blonde.

"You don't mind that three guys are creepily staring at the three of us for a mostly unknown reason?" asked Skylor in disbelief.

"I thought you said you did not think it was creepy," said Penny, tilting her head in confusion.

"I was just trying to be polite," Skylor replied.

"I see. Well, creepy or not, it is not as though they are hurting anything," Penny said. She then gave a shrug. "Besides, I honestly don't see why it matters what they are doing?"

"Oh, trust me, Penny," said Nya as she finished rising to her feet. "It matters."

As she strode over to her teammates, the spying three immediately resumed their oblivious acts, while Lloyd and Cole had enough sense to get out of the splash zone.

A second later, Jay, Kai, and Zane were all soaked through. Kai's immediate retaliation to her assault led to a food fight of epic proportions the likes of which the school had never before seen.

Needless to say, being the instigators, both the twins were given the first detention they'd had since their heroic reveal after that.

Though, if you asked Nya, it was totally worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year's Eve, everyone. I hope you're all having a good time and looking forward to the new year. Just to let you know, as of Friday I will be moving to a completely different timezone, and update times might change due to that. It'll still be Tuesdays and Fridays, and I'll work out what time to post them when I get there.
> 
> The Nya Test is underway, though neither Penny or Skylor know they're being tested. Nya's set it up that she can get to know the both of them and figure them out. And if all goes well, she can get some new friends out of it too. Sadly, the boys are a little too nosey for their own good.
> 
> Big thanks to Kay Hau, the entire last section and dialogue leading up to the food fight was her idea. It originally ended after the boys were talking, but she suggested an extra scene that was too perfect and too funny not to add. Major kudos.
> 
> Next Time: Spike Kai and Zen Zane accompany Luh-Loyd and Freckles Jay out into the desert in an attempt to find the mysterious monster. Needless to say, things don't go as planned.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spike Kai and Zen Zane accompany Luh-Loyd and Freckles Jay out into the desert in an attempt to find the mysterious monster. Needless to say, things don't go as planned.

_Movie Ninjago_

After school let out, it was clear it would be a nice night for camping. Especially with a view like the one they had here.

"You _made _this?" Spike Kai said, staring with his jaw dropped at the sight before him.

Zen Zane was also gaping at the beautiful scene before him. The shining cliffs, glass structures, clear lake, and impossible glacier set in the middle of the desert was just a picturesque as it was when they'd first created it.

Luh-Loyd and Freckles Jay both let out laughs at their reactions. "Yeah, it surprised us too," said Jay as he walked over to point out the shimmering sculptures his lightning had made when striking the sand. "But it's like Master Wu said about our elements being used for creation and all that. Without even trying, we made this."

"I'm almost envious," said Zane. "Cole, Kai, Jay and myself have combined our powers before as well, but we never made anything like this."

"We weren't exactly going for beauty when we were doing the Tornado of Creation, Zane," said Kai pointedly. "We were usually using it to try not to _die_."

Zane conceded his point. "Perhaps we should attempt it again when we are not in any danger," he said. "Simply to see the results."

"Let us know how that goes," Lloyd said. "For now, we've got another few hours before sunset. Wanna add your own mark to this place?"

The two interdimensional Ninja grinned.

"Too bad Sensei G said Lil'Loyd couldn't come. I've always wondered what that green light stuff he's got would add to this place," Jay added as they got started.

"We'll have to bring him next time," said Zane as he began adding icebergs to the lake. "Along with the rest of the team."

"They'd love this place," Kai agreed blasting at the glass of a cliff and forcing it inwards into a molten cave.

The four of them were out at the training grounds to spend the night in hopes of seeing the golden lights or the giant snake that had the Serpentine so spooked. They had initially invited Zen Zane since his falcon was better suited to observing such a thing than the rest of their equipment, and Spike Kai had tagged along upon hearing the invitation, especially after hearing his own counterpart couldn't come due to detention.

"While I appreciate the invitation, why couldn't my counterpart's falcon do the job?" Zane asked a few hours later as they finished setting up camp before sunset.

Lloyd and Jay exchanged a glance that was equal parts amused and exasperated.

"Pep Zane's falcon is currently undergoing… repairs," said Lloyd.

Zane looked slightly worried and pet his own falcon as it sat on his shoulder. "What happened to it?"

"He got the bright idea to give it an upgrade that didn't work out, and kinda messed it up," said Jay.

"Now his dad is helping him try to figure out how to give it boxing gloves without making it unable to fly," added Lloyd.

Zane and Kai exchanged their own look, only theirs was one of bewilderment. "Why would a falcon need boxing gloves?" asked Kai, almost dreading the answer.

Jay snickered. "He wanted it to be able to _Falcon_ _PUUUNCH!"_ he said dramatically, throwing a mock punch as he did so.

Zane and Kai stared at him blankly.

Jay stared back, waiting for them to get it. When they didn't he slumped in his seat. "You guys need to play more video games," he complained. "Meme or no meme, this is just sad."

"Some media things are different in their world, Jay," said Lloyd. "They might not even have Smash games."

Jay looked horrified at the idea. "No Smash Bros? How do you survive? Those games are iconic!"

"By playing the Fist to Face games," Kai replied, feeling oddly defensive about his world's video games from Jay's reaction.

Jay perked up at that. "Oh, I don't think we have those. What are they like?"

As Kai and Jay's banter dissolved into a discussion about video games, Zane turned to Lloyd. "His falcon will be okay, won't it?" he asked.

"It'll be fine," Lloyd assured him. "The boxing gloves just made it too heavy to fly… and they looked kinda silly." Something then occurred to him. "Speaking of upgrades, how are Echo's going?" he asked.

Zane smiled at the mention of his recently found brother. "I finally convinced him to let us upgrade him if I got one alongside him. Father was a little skeptical about that since he believes I'm perfect the way I am, but if it will help Echo he relented some."

"Is he still mad you got your memory switch removed by Pep's Dad?" asked Lloyd.

Zane winced a bit at the memory. His father had not been pleased to hear he'd been modified at all, even if it was done by his own dimensional counterpart. "He is still irked, but I believe meeting his counterpart helped. It also somehow helped that Pep compared it to teenage rebellion like I'd gotten a tattoo or piercing," he added with a hint of humor in his voice.

Lloyd snickered at the comparison.

Zane's expression then shifted to slightly troubled. "I still don't understand why I needed a memory switch in the first place. I like my life and do not wish to forget it." His expression saddened further. "And I have seen what forgetting does to my father."

"I'm sure he had a reason, and he'll tell you when he's ready," said Lloyd assuringly.

"I hope so," said Zane. "Anyway, we have an appointment with a technology mogul named Borg in a few days to discuss possible upgrade options. I find myself looking forward to the meeting."

Lloyd frowned at the name. "Borg?" he asked curiously.

Jay heard the question, and his head snapped around. "You mean Cyrus Borg?" he asked excitedly.

Kai blinked at their video game conversation being brought to an abrupt halt, and Zane replied, "Yes, does he have a counterpart here?"

"Heck yeah he does," said Jay with stars in his eyes. "He makes some of the coolest technology."

Lloyd laughed at his friend's reaction. "Don't let Dad hear you say that or he'll throw you in a shark tank," he said. Turning to the visiting Ninja he explained, "Borg is one of my dad's competitors in the tech business. And since he can't spend his time on evil anymore, he uses his energy to be _super_ aggressive in trying to stay ahead of other companies. Borg is the only one that stands against him as the best."

"He hasn't gone after the guy, has he?" asked Kai, knowing sabotage was not below Lord Garmadon's standards.

Lloyd shrugged. "He's threatened to tons, but actually doing that would be kinda hard right now."

"Why?" asked Zane curiously. "Because of his house arrest?"

"Nah, it's because the guy is missing," said Jay.

"Missing?" asked both Kai and Zane in surprise.

Jay nodded. "Yeah, it was all over the news for a while, back when Lloyd's dad was still an evil jerk. One day he just up and vanished. No one knows how or why or where he went, but his company is still distributing new tech with his name on it, so at least he's not dead," he said with a shrug.

"We worked with the police when it first happened for a few weeks," said Lloyd, remembering the time. "It was weird. It didn't take much to find out my dad had nothing to do with it, and there was no sign of struggle at his home to say he'd been kidnapped. It was like he just disappeared. But like Jay said, his company is still going, so with no sign he'd left against his will or is actually in danger there wasn't much we could do."

"For all we know, he's just on vacation," added Jay. "A _really_ long vacation that makes him unreachable to anyone, but he still does work while on it…" he trailed off at Zane and Kai's disbelieving faces. "Yeah, you can see why most people think something happened to him. Especially since he was supposed to unveil something big right before he vanished, but after he did whatever it was got canceled."

Zane hummed thoughtfully. "Perhaps when we talk to his counterpart, we may shed some light onto this mystery."

"That'd be great, thanks," said Lloyd with a grin.

"Better than the flat lot of nothing we're at now," added Jay, before turning back to Kai to resume the video game conversation like it had never ended.

For the rest of the evening, things were running smoothly as the stakeout progressed. Dinner over the fire went fine, and Zane and Kai were even more in awe when they saw the sunset over the training ground.

Not letting him put it off any longer, Lloyd finally convinced Jay for them to start working on their project by flashlight as they waited up for the time the lights or the monster were most often seen, the sight of which amused Kai to no end.

"I can't even remember the last time I had to do something like that," he said as he watched the two locals pour over the history books they had brought along for this purpose.

"Lucky," Lloyd muttered, sounding slightly jealous.

"What is school like?" Zane asked. "My father homeschooled me, so I have never actually gone."

Lloyd and Jay exchanged a glance and groaned in unison.

"Honestly, it sucks," Lloyd said dryly. "_Really_ sucks."

"I _wish_ I could go back to homeschooling," said Jay. "Well, aside from the fact that to do that my folks would have to move back to the junkyard."

Kai winced. "That bad, huh?"

"To be fair, it's gotten _better_ since we gave up our secret identities," said Lloyd slowly. "But not by too much. The old problems have just been replaced by new ones, and school is still pretty judgy."

"Yeah, people aren't calling us the Dork Squad and other names or shoving me into lockers anymore, but the constant hounding from fans isn't much better," said Jay with a grimace. "Cole had to actually had to carry me over his head to rescue me from a mob once."

"Why? Couldn't handle all the adoring girls after you?" Kai teased lightly.

"No, I was having a panic attack," Jay replied matter-of-factly. "And they wouldn't leave me alone and were making it worse."

Kai twitched and looked apologetic at that response. Despite his team having been meeting with Ninja Force often, there were still times they all expected each other to react like their counterparts would have. Nick Jay would have made a joking comment about how his heart only belonged to Nya and how he was taking advantage of Cole's strength, not an honest but blunt reply like that.

"Still," Lloyd said, not noticing Kai's reaction. "I wish Mom would stop insisting these are supposed to be the best years of my life. I got it confirmed from Dad she's never actually been to high school."

"Then why would she think it was supposed to be?" asked Zane.

"Too many teen romcoms," said Lloyd, looking slightly amused. "Trust me, Zane, no matter how curious you are about high school life, movies are _not_ a good representation of them."

"Unless they're horror movies," said Jay cynically.

Zane actually looked disappointed to hear that.

Seeing this, Lloyd relented and said, "Well, _sometimes_ it mimics the movies. We actually had a food fight in the cafeteria today."

Zane perked up at that and gestured for them to go on.

"It was actually kind of fun," Lloyd admitted. "Especially when Cole and I worked together to Master Build a food catapult. Though it took forever to get the mayonnaise out of my hair after it."

"Speak for yourself," Jay groaned. "You weren't one of the main targets. And thanks to Nya pretty much everyone got soaking wet and sticky. I didn't even realize she could use her powers on sodas."

Kai snickered at the mental image.

"Why were you a target?" asked Zane curiously.

"They interrupted a Nya Test. She retaliated and then Kai fought back with his spaghetti plate. It's what gave her and Kai detention so they couldn't come tonight," said Lloyd in amusement.

"What's a Nya Test?" Kai asked, not knowing of anything of the sort with his own sister.

Jay just shuddered in response. "Pray that you never find out," he said.

Kai and Zane shared bewildered looks. They'd never be able to understand this world.

Finally, the time the sightings were reported was approaching, so they doused the fire so if any lights appeared they'd be able to see it clearly. Zane's falcon took to the air and began circling the area as well, sending reports of any animals it saw to the Nindroid through its night vision. So far, all that it reported was normal nocturnal desert life.

"Did you ever find out about if this Golden Master guy exists in your world, too?" asked Jay nervously. The darkness felt ominous, especially when waiting for something supernatural to show up, so he was eager to have some distraction.

"We talked to Misako about it," said Kai. "She actually was able to pull out a couple scrolls that talked about similar signs to the Golden Master's coming."

"The strange thing is, she thought for sure they were part of the Prophecy of the Green Ninja, and that they were signs the battle with the Dark Lord was drawing near," said Zane. "Now though, perhaps they were actually about the Golden Master all along. Some of the ancient runes are subject to interpretation."

"We still need to track down a Serpentine to get their side of the legend, but it is a weird coincidence," said Kai. He then snorted and added, "Our Jay's got this crazy theory that maybe the Golden Master and the Dark Lord are one and the same, but we all know the Dark Lord was Garmadon."

Lloyd glanced in the direction of Zane and he nodded silently, both of them remembering when he pointed out to a still evil Sensei Garmadon that it was possible he wasn't the lord of the prophecy. It was something to keep in mind for the future.

"Doesn't sound too crazy to me," Jay muttered in defense of his counterpart. "It'd be just our luck if it was."

Kai couldn't argue with that.

Speaking of their luck, it was that exact moment that Zane's falcon picked up on something.

Zane blinked as his vision switched to that of his pet's. "The falcon sees something," he informed the others. "It's hard to make out, but it isn't far from here and is quite large."

"It's gotta be the monster the Serpentine have been seeing," said Kai.

"Which way is it?" asked Lloyd. "We should get a closer look. Find out what this creature really is."

"Or," said Jay, sounding like he'd rather do anything else, "we could move our stuff into the cave Spike made and hide there until morning."

The others all gave him a flat look, and he sighed. "Fine, we'll go take a look at the monster snake. If we get eaten, I blame Lloyd," he said petulantly.

"What? Me? Why?" asked Lloyd.

"'Cause you're a monster magnet," Kai replied, to which the others nodded in agreement.

"You probably attracted the monster snake just by being here," Jay added.

"Past events do support that theory," said Zane helpfully. "Perhaps you might tame this one too."

Lloyd groaned. "Just tell us where this thing is," he said in an annoyed tone.

"That way," said Zane, pointing out of the training ground and into the desert. "From what my falcon can see, it appears to be heading for the closest Serpentine village."

"Then we better save those snakes," said Kai. "Never thought I'd hear myself say that."

They loaded onto Jay and Lloyd's mechs and took off in the direction Zane had indicated.

Soon enough they spotted a dark shape weaving to and fro as it slithered over the sand dunes.

Kai, who was riding behind Lloyd on his mech, leaned over the Green Ninja's shoulder to squint at the shape as they drew closer to it. "Well, it definitely moves like a snake," he said.

Zane, who was riding in Jay's jet, spoke over the radio, "_From what my falcon can see of it, the shape of its head does not resemble the Great Devourer's. It seems we were right when we hypothesized this was not its counterpart."_

"_So there are more giant, evil snakes out there, great,"_ said Jay sarcastically.

"We don't know it's evil," said Lloyd.

"_We don't know it's not,"_ Jay argued back.

Kai let out a snort. "Don't worry Jay, Mr. Monster Tamer here will make buddies with it soon enough."

Lloyd jerked his elbow back to get Kai in the gut but didn't deny it.

They followed the shape until they knew for sure it was headed for the village.

Not wanting to let it spook the Serpentine more than they already were, Lloyd flew his mech ahead of it and landed it on a dune.

"Stay here, and be ready," he said to Kai as he climbed off. "Think you can handle my mech if things go south?"

"How hard can it be? Go get'em, tiger," Kai teased, but Lloyd didn't miss the way he shifted into the driver's seat and kept his hand hovering over the missile button.

Lloyd took a deep breath to calm himself and turned to walk determinedly towards the snake-like figure.

The moon was only a crescent in the sky that night, giving off very little light. Jay's jet was hovering in the air above them and could shine down a spotlight if need be, but they didn't want to spook or agitate the creature with the sudden light.

Still, despite the darkness, Lloyd could see the dark shape slithering towards him. It looked to be about the size of his Dragon Mech, maybe a little bigger. It was too dark to make out many details except for the gleam of yellow eyes attached to its head.

As it drew closer, Lloyd stood directly in its path waiting for it to spot him. It didn't seem to see him until it was almost on top of him, but when it did it slid to a halt and reared its head up into the air, and a loud hissing began to fill the air.

Lloyd held up his hands to show he wasn't a threat. Despite knowing most snakes didn't have ears, he still spoke softly, hoping the vibrations of his voice came out as soothing so it wouldn't be afraid of him.

The snake tilted its head and seemed to study him quizzically.

Lloyd stared up at it. The snake didn't seem hostile, and this was the part where he would usually try to approach the creature, but… something didn't feel right.

When approaching monsters in the past there had always been what felt like a mental stoplight in his head. It told him when it was safe to approach, to go slow and coaxing, or to not even go near the thing with a ten-foot pole. When he felt the little green light go off in his head, he knew he was safe and he'd made a new friend.

This time, however, he felt… nothing. No instinctive feelings of safety or mental alarm bells, just… blank. It was that blankness more than anything that kept Lloyd from trying to approach.

Something wasn't right here.

Trying to figure out what was different, Lloyd looked at the glowing yellow eyes, which were the only part of the snake he could distinguish in the near-moonless light.

He then tensed and took a step back. Those eyes, they weren't glowing from the moon, they were-!

The snake suddenly struck at lightning speeds, and Lloyd was barely able to dodge in time.

The snake drew back and struck again, trying to snap him up into its jaws, and Lloyd scrambled to avoid it.

He managed to jump out of the way, but his foot slipped in the loose sand, and he fell over onto his back.

The snake reared up again and this time he wouldn't be able to dodge the attack.

Thankfully, he didn't have to.

"Get away from him!" came a shout from Kai, and a missile burst from the mouth of the Green Dragon Mech, and crashed into the snake's looming neck.

The snake gave off a horrible screech when it hit, and Lloyd took the opportunity to get back to his feet and bolt to his mech. When it tried to pursue him, a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, and Jay's jet began circling overhead to provide cover fire so Lloyd could get away.

When he reached his mech, Kai was quick to pull him on board. "So much for your all monster taming streak," he joked weakly, still shaken at how close Lloyd had come to being eaten. "Guess it doesn't apply to snakes."

But Lloyd's eyes were still wide with the realization he'd had. "It's not a snake!" he said rapidly. "It's a-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the snake launched itself away from Jay's lightning strikes and at the Dragon Mech with its maw opened wide.

Lloyd and Kai burst into action, with the Master of Fire letting loose a stream of flames at the beast, and the Green Ninja backed it up with the flamethrower within the mouth of his dragon.

The orange and green flames lit up the night with an almost blinding shine and illuminated the monster for the first time.

It was gleaming metallic purple with whirring parts and shifting plates. The hissing sound they had heard was from the pistons within it pumping gas to make it move. Its eyes were glowing yellow LEDs that, unlike a Nindroid's, had no life to them. It's angular, the snake-like face was something out of a nightmare, especially when you looked into its mouth and saw past the katana-shaped fangs that there was no throat, only whirling saw blades ready to slice up anything that went inside.

"-It's a _mech!_" Lloyd shouted as their fire knocked it back long enough for them to take to the air.

The snake mech lunged at them again, but they were too high for it to reach. Its pistons hissed as it circled beneath the two flying mechs as if daring them to come close enough for it to strike.

Lloyd turned on his mech's eye beams, and Jay shown a spotlight down on it to let them see it better.

To everyone's surprise, despite the fire, lightning, and missiles that had been launched at it, the snake mech hardly seemed damaged.

"_That thing's one tough cookie,"_ said Jay over the radio as he prepared to fire on it again.

"_Cookie?"_ asked Zane in confusion.

"_Figure of speech, explain later,"_ Jay replied rapidly as he launched another lightning strike against the snake.

Despite taking every bolt, the snake still appeared unharmed and snapped at them from below with its sawblade maw.

"It's like nothing we do has any effect," said Kai in frustration. "Fire and lightning don't do it any damage."

"_Then perhaps ice will do the trick,"_ offered Zane.

"Do it," Lloyd said. "If you can trap its head, we can try and take it apart!"

Jay opened the hatch on his jet, and Zane leaned out to blast the mechanical serpent with his element.

Seeing this, the snake mech reared its head up as high off the ground as it would go, and the sawblades parted to allow something to launch out of its mouth.

Zane nearly fell off the jet as Jay swerved to avoid what looked like a rocket come flying up at them.

The rocket continued its flight high into the air and then burst like a firework into a brilliant gold light that left the four Ninja blinded.

When they could see again, they looked down to realize the snake mech was gone, apparently having burrowed into the sand to escape.

"_Well __**that**_ _was terrifying,"_ said Jay once they were sure it was gone.

"And I thought regular giant snakes were bad," said Kai in agreement.

Lloyd glared at the hole in the sand where the serpent had apparently vanished into. "You were right, Jay," he said.

"_I was?"_ the Lightning Ninja asked.

"_Indeed,"_ Zane agreed. "_It is safe to assume that machine was both the source of the monster sightings and the golden lights in the sky. Possibly even the abductions as well."_

"But it sure isn't some mystical monster sent by an ancient evil," said Lloyd. "Someone had to have built that thing, and they had to have made it specifically to match the legend _and_ withstand your powers."

"So someone _is_ trying to fake the signs," said Kai in realization.

"_Called it,"_ Jay said, though he sounded like he'd rather have been wrong.

"But why?" asked Kai. "What would anyone gain from scaring the Serpentine into thinking the world was ending?"

Lloyd's eyes narrowed, and he turned his mech back towards their campsite. "That's what we need to find out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the weird time of posting. As I mentioned before, I'm moving to a new timezone, so posts will be at a different time for the next few months, but still on the same days.
> 
> Well, the Ninja have seen their monster, or should I say, mech. That thing is pure nightmare fuel, and under Chen's control, it's not up to anything good. Still, there was a lot of important talking in this chapter, and a lot of it will come into play later in the fic.
> 
> Show Ninja: Spike Kai, Zen Zane
> 
> Movie Ninja: Luh-Loyd, Freckles Jay
> 
> Big thanks to Kay Hau for helping plan and beta reading this chapter. Some ideas for it came from her, and I appreciate the help.
> 
> Next Time: The Ninja regroup after their wild night to share what happened. Meanwhile, the Nya Test is still going strong, despite if Zane realizes he is a part of it now or not.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ninja regroup after their wild night to share what happened. Meanwhile, the Nya Test is still going strong, despite if Zane realizes he is a part of it now or not.

_Movie Ninjago_

Unknowing of her teammates' fight in the desert, Nya sat in her room and went over the data she had gathered that day.

So far, both Penny and Skylor were actually doing well on her test. Neither of them had been rude when she shook up the status quo to approach them and had been amiable to her inserting herself into their lives with the change in the group projects. That was points in their favor.

There were also some additional points given for both of them being willing to put in the work for the project, and for their actions during the food fight. Once it had started, Skylor had been one of the first to jump to Nya's side to help her fend off the contents of Kai's lunch tray. She had gleefully thrown any food she could get her hands on at her targets and was a really good shot to boot. The act of which seemed to only make Kai fall more in love with her if his smitten expression after getting nailed with a pudding cup was anything to go by.

So that was points for having a sense of humor, not letting Kai get away with his dumb actions, being able to embrace the ever-changing chaos that surrounded their lives.

Penny, on the other hand, at first had seemed to lose points due to her actions in the food fight. Specifically, her lack of action. The entire time food had been flying, Nya had seen neither hide nor hair of the blonde girl, and it had been disappointing to think she might have fled the scene. However, just before the fight had ended, Jay had been attempting to dump an entire pizza on her head when a clump of mashed potatoes came flying out from under a table and got him in the ear.

A second later, several teachers came in to break up the fight, and Nya discovered Penny had not actually run for safety, but instead had hidden impressively well under a lunch table with a barricade of food trays to keep her safe, and had been sniping people by flicking the gooey potatoes at them with her spoon from some small openings in her fortress. Then, to both Nya and Skylor's surprise, they found out that she'd also taken their bags with her when she hid, so unlike most people's backpacks, theirs were still free of food stains and ruined books.

Therefore, Penny got points for ingenuity in crazy situations, her willingness to help out when not asked, and for being almost ninja levels of sneaky when it came to getting out of an undesirable position (as fun as the food fight was, it had been murder on her clothes, she could understand trying to avoid that). It was ironic since being sneaky would usually be a red flag, but this time Nya was just impressed.

There had been some negative points they'd gotten. Skylor's attempts at being polite when the boys had been creeping on them was nice, but after being around so many people sucking up to them because of their fame, Nya and the rest of her team were more appreciative of honesty over politeness. Penny's apparent lack of desire to confront problems was also a bit of a negative, as it could lead to issues down the road.

Still, those were only minor issues so far, and, surprisingly, these two were doing far better on her test than any previous takers had, but there was still more to come to be sure. People often acted the nicest when you first met them, only to reveal their true colors later.

Nya sat at her desk tapping her pencil against her notebook trying to think of any points positive or negative that she had missed.

There was a knock at her door. "Hey, sis, can I come in?" called Kai's voice on the other side.

Hearing him, Nya quickly grabbed the first sheets of paper she could find to cover her notes on Skylor. Her dork of a brother was still trying to hide his affections for the girl, and she wasn't telling him she was testing her too until he admitted it. Tit for tat, if he kept secrets from her, she'd keep some from him.

"It's open," Nya called, spinning her computer chair around to face the door.

Kai opened it, his hair for once lacking its ever-present hair gel due to him being ready for bed.

"'Sup, bro," she said, wondering why he was here.

Kai scratched the back of his head awkwardly and said, "Look, I was thinking it over, and I'm sorry for today. I got… caught up in the drama, and you were right, I was being creepy."

"Aww," Nya cooed at his apology. "Mom and Dad didn't put you up to this, did they?"

Kai gave her a scowl with no real heat to it. "No, they didn't," he groused, but there was some humor to his tone. "I'm the Awesome Ninja, remember. Awesome people don't creep on girls."

"That's true," Nya agreed. "Well, I'm sorry I got you in the eye with that apple. That was a low blow."

"Oh, you're sorry for that, but not for dumping all the soda in the school on us?" Kai teased.

Nya grinned unapologetically. "Heck no, that was awesome."

Kai rolled his eyes at her and glanced at her desk. "So how's Penny doing, anyway?"

"Pretty well, actually," said Nya with a shrug and waving her hand at her notes. "She's still got a long way to go, but it's a good start."

Kai came a little closer to look but paused when he saw the pile where Skylor's notes were. A small frown appeared on his face, and for a moment Nya was worried she'd been found out.

"Are you testing yourself again?" he asked, taking her by surprise.

Nya turned back to her desk, and for the first time, she noticed the papers she'd used to hide Skylor's notes were some copies of a survey she'd made to give herself her own Nya Test.

"I… was considering it," she said, taking the top copy off the pile, but leaving the rest for cover. "All this talk about Zane being in love left me wondering."

Kai gave her a sympathetic but proud smile. He knew better than the rest how seriously Nya took her tests. Neither of them was blind to Jay's affections, and she was determined not to let her boys get their hearts broken by any girl, not even herself.

"Want to run through it?" he offered, this not being the first time Nya had tested herself.

Nya studied the test for a moment and shrugged, handing the paper and a pencil to Kai. "Remember, all answers have to be the first thing that comes to mind," she said. "Be sure to mark it if I take more than ten seconds to give a response."

"I know, sis. We've done this before," Kai said as he flopped onto the bean bag chair in her room, and started the survey. "Question 1: Why do you like Jay?" he asked.

"He's sweet and he makes me laugh," Nya answered automatically.

"Question 2: What do you like least about him?" continued Kai, making a small mark on the paper for the question.

"He's a pessimist who can say the worst things sometimes," Nya admitted.

"Question 3: How can that be a good thing?"

"It gives a different perspective, and makes us think about how things could go wrong," said Nya, knowing that no matter how much Jay puts his foot in his mouth, he often had a point.

They continue down the list, with Kai asking the questions and marking down Nya's answers. When they were done, he handed it back for his sister to study.

Nya scrutinized her answers, trying to keep herself objective as she looked them over. It'd be hypocritically for her to give a test to others, but not hold herself to the same standards.

"For what it's worth," said Kai as he got up to leave her to it, "I think Jay will be a pretty lucky guy when he finally gets the nerve to confess."

Nya flashed her brother a small smile, before turning her attention back to the paper.

She knew she'd be pretty lucky when that happened too.

* * *

Hearing that Lloyd was nearly shredded in the mouth of a nightmare-inducing snake mech was not the way any of the Ninja Force wanted to start off their day.

But that was the news they heard when they met at the docks the next morning before school.

As it was, Buddy Kai currently had their leader in a Kai Hug™ and was thanking his counterpart for protecting Lloyd in his absence.

"No problem," said Spike Kai (who'd had gotten his own Kai Hug™ a minute earlier) from where he and Zen Zane were both preparing to go back to their own world. "You'd do the same for my Lloyd."

"Darn right," said Buddy. The two had a mostly silent agreement to work together to protect the two blond trouble magnets, if only from their own rotten luck.

Master Wu, however, focused more on the implications of such a mech. "So someone is indeed attempting to deceive the Serpentine," he said thoughtfully.

"That is what appears to be happening, yes," said Zen.

"So the question is, who's doing it?" asked Cole thoughtfully.

"And why?" added Jay. "Don't forget the 'why'."

"I will start compiling a list of suspects from our known enemies," said Pep Zane, his eyes switching to a loading screen as he began working on it.

Spike and Zen stared at the loading bar in surprise.

"Can you do that?" asked Spike.

"I don't believe so," replied Zen.

"Just roll with it," said Nya with a shrug. "It's a Pep thing."

"It is good to keep an eye on the enemy you know," said Master Wu as he stood up and began making his way towards the Bounty. "The six of you can start by investigating them, and I will seek information of any enemies you do not know."

The Ninja Force and two visiting ninja exchanged glances. "Wait! There are more enemies we don't know about?" asked Lloyd.

"Shouldn't we, you know, be told about them?" said Jay, looking alarmed.

Master Wu glanced back at them and winked, then continued on towards the Bounty while playing '_Dangerous to Know'_ on his flute.

The Ninja Force stared after him with deadpan expressions. "One of these days I'm chucking that flute into the ocean," said Buddy Kai, sounding uncharacteristically surly.

"Here, here," agreed the rest of his team.

"Would it _kill_ him to tell us this stuff?" asked Nya. "I swear, I don't know where he gets half the information he has, or even how he gets it."

"My money's on a secret spy network," said Jay softly, as if the spies could be listening in.

"Being more open with such information would be beneficial in expanding our list of suspects," Pep agreed, looking put out that the list he'd just made wouldn't be accurate.

"Figures," said Spike Kai. "Our Wu doesn't have the flute, but he's just as cryptic." He then glanced at the rest of them. "Anyway, let us know if you need any more help."

"Will do," agreed Lloyd. "Let us know if you need any help on your side too."

"Especially if this Golden Master guy isn't a fake on your side of things," added Cole.

"Agreed," said Zen Zane. "Will you tell the Serpentine about this development?"

"Yeah, Mom and I should have an audience with them in about a week," said Lloyd.

"Wouldn't it be better to tell them sooner?" asked Spike.

Lloyd sighed. "We would, but as it turns out, you can't just go up and see the king any time you want. And since King Skales doesn't want this sensitive information getting out to avoid a panic, we'll have to talk about it in person during said meeting." He then seemed to remember something and added, "Let Lil'Loyd know if he wants to come again. He's still invited, and the Queen was talking with Mom about playdates with her son as we left."

Spike and Zen exchanged glances at that. While they understood rationally the Serpentine were friendlier here, still… arranging playdates? With the prince of the Serpentine? It just seemed so out there.

Well, that was up for Lil'Loyd and Sensei Garmadon to decide.

"We'll inform him of the invitation," said Zen as he and Spike climbed onto the Ultra Dragon's back and took off through a portal home.

The Ninja Force watched until the portal vanished, before hurrying off to school.

* * *

After school had ended, Zane was on a mission of his own.

Stepping into the library, his head swiveled back and forth as he searched the premise for Nya.

Not seeing her, he relaxed a bit and instead began looking for Penny.

It seemed Nya, Skylor and Penny had planned to meet at the library directly after school that day, but at the last minute, Skylor had told Nya that she would be late and rescheduled the meeting for two hours later. Nya had then attempted to text Penny about this delay, but unfortunately, she had sent it to the Ninja Force group chat instead.

And so, being that Zane did not have Penny's phone number to pass the message on to, it only stood to reason he should go and inform her in person.

With that infallible logic, Zane made his way through the library, searching the study areas for her.

Just when he was beginning to think Nya had realized her mistake and informed her after all, he caught sight of Penny sitting near the back with several history books piled around her.

Walking over to her table, he said in his friendliest voice, "Hello, Penny."

Penny looked up from her book, and stared at him, undoubtedly confused at his presence. "Yes… Zane, is it?" she asks.

"Yes, I am Zane. I'm sorry to inform you that Nya and Skylor will be delayed in their meeting for the next two hours," said Zane. "I came to tell you so you would not have to wait all that time."

Penny frowned and fished her phone out of her bag. "Why did Nya not simply text me of this change?" she asked, checking it for messages. "It would be more convenient than making you come all this way."

"She did attempt to do so, but accidentally sent it to my team's group chat instead," Zane said, holding up his phone for her to see. "I do not have your number to pass it on, and it was no trouble to come and inform you myself."

Penny looked skeptical. "Then why did you not simply message Nya back that there was a mistake?" she asked. "Nya has my number, and could have corrected this matter far more easily."

Zane stalled momentarily at this gaping hole in his previously sound logic.

"That… did not occur to me," he admitted.

Penny raised an eyebrow, still looking skeptical. "Really?" she asked.

Zane stood frozen with his phone still in his hand for a few moments, hoping she would buy his excuse.

She did not, and her gaze remained stern.

Zane slowly lowered his phone in defeat. "I admit, I could have corrected Nya on her mistake," he said slowly. "But then I would not have an excuse to talk to you."

Penny blinked, taken aback by this response. "Me?" she asked.

"Yes," said Zane. "Since our collision a few days ago, I noticed you seem to be on your own most of the time."

Penny's expression turned defensive. "I am," she said. "Though I do not see how that is your business."

Zane worried he'd offended her, was quick to add, "It isn't my business. I simply thought… perhaps we could be friends."

Now Penny was confused again. "Why?" she asked.

"Because you are kind," Zane replied honestly.

Taken aback by that response, Penny looked away to school her expression and hide her cheeks turning pink.

"Well," she said when she composed herself. "I suppose if they will only be two hours late, then it would not be wise to wander far. There is a coffee shop just down the street. Would you like to join me there while I wait?"

Zane's expression lit up. "I would be delighted," he said brightly.

A few minutes later had them sitting at a table in the coffee shop, each nursing their own beverages.

"May I ask you a question?" asked Penny as she stirred some sugar into her cup.

"Yes, you may," said Zane, eager to make small talk with her.

"I have always wondered, what does Zane stand for?" she asked.

Zane blinked his optics at the question. "I stand for peace, freedom, and courage in the face of those who threaten Ninjago," he said, attempting to sound impressive.

Penny gave a small smile at that but shook her head. "No, I meant your name," she said. "What does the name 'Zane' mean?"

That was an odd question, but it reminded Zane of an almost forgotten conversation his team had briefly before the mishap where the Lloyds had switched universes. "The name Zane has roots in more desert countries," he said. "It can mean gift or beloved."

This answer still didn't seem to satisfy Penny. "Oh," she said. "I see. Then it is not…"

"Not what?" Zane asked when she trailed off.

Penny looked down at her cup. "I had thought the name Zane was an acronym and was curious what it stood for."

Zane frowned slightly. He did not like what that implied. "Why would my name be an acronym?" he asked. "I am a normal teenager. Normal teenagers do not have names that are acronyms."

Penny seemed to sense his defensiveness, and she shook her head. "You are right, I was… being silly," she said. "Zane is a nice name with a fitting meaning. Your services are quite the gift to Ninjago, and you seem beloved by its people."

Zane's expression brightened at that. "Thank you, I am rather fond of it," he said. His eyes then glowed blue as he looked something up off the internet. "It seems your name is quite fitting too," he said.

"Oh?" asked Penny. "I thought my name was simply shared with that of a coin."

Zane nodded. "While that is true, the name of said coin dates even further back, and means 'silent worker', a name fitting for you, as from what I have observed, you seem willing to help all those around you without needing to be asked or thanked. It is a quality I quite admire in you."

Penny's cheeks turned pink again. "Oh," she said, looking flattered.

"However, the coin connotation also has significance," said Zane.

"To be worth only one cent?" asked Penny, cocking her head to the side. It would be a rather insulting thing to insinuate.

Zane smiled and shook his head. "No, if what Jay has told me is correct, it is that one should always save pennies because they are lucky."

Penny smiled at his words, but then the smile slipped into a frown. "I do not think I agree with that connotation," she said. "I am far from lucky."

"I disagree," said Zane. "I feel I am quite lucky to have met you."

Penny's cheeks turned pink again.

They ended up talking the entire two hours before Penny needed to meet her partners, and Zane left the coffee shop feeling like he was floating on air.

* * *

**Ninja Force Group Chat**

_Kai: Yo, sis, you sent that Penny message to the wrong chat_

_(Zane has been removed from the chat)_

_Nya: Nope!_

_Nya: I sent ti to the right one_

_Nya: *it_

_Jay: ?_

_Kai: o_0?_

_Cole: Nya Test?_

_Nya: Nya Test >:)_

_Lloyd: Remind me never to fall in love ^_^;_

_Kai: bro that's probably the safest bet_

_(Zane has been added to the chat)_

_Zane: I passed on your message Nya._

_Zane: Wait, why was I removed from the chat?_

_Nya: Oops, my finger slipped :3_

_Zane: …_

_Zane: I do not believe you, but I do not wish to know the real reasoning._

_Jay: Trust me, you really don't_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nya Tests are serious business. No one is safe from them... No one! Still, it sounds like the girls are doing well on it. Kai still has no clue Nya is on to him and is happily oblivious. Writing Zane and Penny together has actually been pretty fun because they're adorable. He has no clue their little coffee date was part of the test too. Meanwhile, in the main plot, Master Wu is being cryptic as ever. Does he know something? Or is he just trying to cover up the face he doesn't know and ruin his wise sensei vibe. It could honestly be either.
> 
> Big thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading this. A lot of it came from our discussions, and it's been a big help in planning all this out.
> 
> Movie: Buddy Kai, Pep Zane
> 
> Show: Spike Kai, Zen Zane
> 
> Next time: Penny grows suspicious of this new attention on her, while Skylor enjoys her new bit of freedom. Borg is a good dad. Chen is not.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny grows suspicious of this new attention on her, while Skylor enjoys her new bit of freedom. Borg is a good dad. Chen is not.

_Movie Ninjago_

Penny Trixie Allons had a lot to think about as she left the library that day.

Zane's offer of friendship had been as unexpected as it had been flattering. She had no idea what she had done to warrant it. Why now? It couldn't simply be because they had recently collided with each other.

Perhaps it was because of her sudden partnership with Nya, and that was another thing that was concerning to Penny.

Was it a coincidence they had been shifted onto the same project so soon after the inciting collision with Zane?

It was possible. Chad and Farris were hardly subtle about their preference to avoid schoolwork whenever they could. It would not be a stretch to assume Ms. Jones had discovered their mutual plan to shirk their responsibilities. However, it was equally possible that someone had deliberately brought this to the teacher's attention for this specific purpose.

But for what reason was the question Penny was puzzling over. What would be gained by pairing her with the Water Ninja and the newest student at their school?

Add to that, Zane, Nya, and Skylor had all seemed to be genuinely nice. They all had their own quirks but had been nothing but friendly towards her if a bit invasive in Nya's case with some of her questions.

Penny paused in midstep. Could it be the Ninja Force suspected… she had to tell her father

With that thought in mind, Penny picked up speed and ran the rest of the way to her home.

When she reached it, she rushed in the door and called, "Father! Father, are you home?"

"In here!" came a reply from her father's workshop.

Penny quickly made her way through the house to find him.

Stepping into the tech-filled workshop, she scanned the area for her father and spotted him hunched over a table setting down a soldering iron from where he was adjusting some circuitry.

He activated his motorized wheelchair and turned it around to face her with a warm smile. "Welcome home, Pixal," he said. "How was school today?"

Within the relative safety of her home, Penny dropped her holographic illusion and looked at her father and creator with a worried expression on her circuit-decorated silver face. "Father, I believe we may have been compromised," Pixal said.

The face of Cyrus Borg shifted into concern. "Oh dear," he said. "Are you sure?"

Pixal hesitated. "I am uncertain," she admitted. "But recent events have proven suspicious."

Borg frowned thoughtfully, and he asked, "How so?"

Pixal explained the events of the past few days that she had been pondering on the way home. "I fear this means that they have discovered us," she said. "Or at the very least, suspect that we are not what we seem."

Cyrus Borg listened to her concerns and hid a smile behind his hand. While he could see the suspicious light Pixal was casting onto her observations, there was one thing she was missing. "My dear Pixal, didn't it occur to you that the reason they have been asking you questions is that they really do want to be friends with you?"

Pixal looked taken aback. "Zane did say that, but the timing… why now of all times?" she asked.

Borg chuckled. "You said that Zane told you he admired your tendency to be helpful, it is entirely possible with how hard you have worked to fade into the background he simply did not see you and notice such _until_ he ran into you, and once he did it seems he liked what he saw."

Without her hologram up, Pixal's face didn't turn pink at the implication, but she did look away with a flustered expression. "But what about Nya?" she asked. "What purpose do her interactions serve?"

"From what we have seen of the Ninja Force, they all seem very close to one another," said Borg. "If Zane voiced his desire to befriend you to the others, it may have inspired Nya to take the initiative and do the same, as well as helping Skylor adjust to a new environment."

"The Fire Ninja does seem to be interested in her," Pixal admitted, remembering the way she had seen Kai and Skylor interact before.

"There you have it," said Borg. "It is not so much they have discovered who we are, but have simply realized you are a person worth knowing."

Pixal frowned. Her father's conclusion was possible, however, "Would that not be unsafe?" she asked. "If they get too close, they could find out about you, and that I am…" she trailed off and looked down at her shining silver hands that were very different from her human disguise.

Borg sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Pixal, I know you believe that keeping your distance is the only way to keep us safe, but it is no way to live," he said imploringly. "I _want_ you to make friends, to have a _life_ outside of fear and hiding, and to be _happy._ And if people have finally seen what a wonderful person you are, then I want you to enjoy that, not fear it."

Pixal looked away. "I… want that too," she admitted. "But I want you safe even more."

"I appreciate that," said Borg. "However, you are overlooking the fact that these are members of the _Ninja Force_ who are seeking to befriend you. If anyone in Ninjago is safe to befriend, surely it would be them."

"But they are allies with Lord Garmadon," said Pixal, who had to admit she was grasping at straws at this point. "He has issued threats against your person multiple times."

"And since he has reformed, he has never actually done anything to go through with them," said Borg. "With his focus no longer on conquering the city, he certainly has the time and resources that he could potentially track us down if he truly wanted to, but he has made no such attempt. If anything, I believe he enjoys the competition."

Pixal remained silent, but her expression was contemplative.

Borg rolled his chair over so that he could take her hand. "Pixal, if it helps at all, this could be the very opportunity we need to come out of hiding. If anyone can find that man, and destroy what I built for him, it would be them."

"You didn't know," Pixal protested, hearing the guilt in her father's voice. "You thought it was for the protection of the city."

"That doesn't change the fact that it happened," Borg said firmly, willing to own up to his own mistakes. He then gave his daughter a kind look. "Regardless, you have the chance to make some real friends. I hope you can one day trust them with the truth."

Pixal gave her father a small smile. "I will think about it," she promised.

"That is all I ask," said Borg with a nod.

* * *

When Kapau and Chope encountered the Green Ninja in the desert the night before, they thought it was a dream come true. Both of them were eager to climb the ranks of Chen's mafia, and could only imagine what kind of clout killing the leader of the Ninja Force would give them.

Sadly, things had not turned out that way, and that dream was now looking like a nightmare.

As it was, the two mobsters were being held at spearpoint as they were marched into their boss's office.

The two trembling henchmen were made to stand before the desk, staring at the back of an impressive throne-like chair behind it. Beside the chair stood Clouse, his expression stoic.

Ever so slowly, Clouse turned the chair around, revealing Master Chen sitting there stroking a ball python in his lap.

Somehow he looked utterly sinister despite his ridiculous outfit.

"Uh, sir, this is, uh, this is all a big-" Kapau tried to say, but Chen let out a cough and held out his hand with a large ring-shaped like a cobra.

Both hench goons were quick to kiss the ring, before scooting back to their former position hoping they hadn't already offended him and sealed their fate.

"I-It was an accident boss," Chope squeaked out quickly. "We didn't mean to-"

Chen's scowled. "You come here this morning, on my precious girl's birthday, boasting to all that will listen that you _nearly_ killed the Green Ninja last night."

"Y-Yeah, boss," said Kapau. "Almost got 'im. If he'd just been a _little_ closer, or the Fire Ninja hadn't been there, it would have been, KAPOW!" he slammed his right hand into the palm of his left in a poor imitation of a snake strike.

"And then chop, chop, chop, and we'd have had little Green Ninja pieces. I'm pretty sure we scared the bejeezus out of him. He knows better than to mess with us now," said Chope, hoping that instilling fear into their enemy might gain them some favor.

Master Chen looked utterly unimpressed. "I trusted you two," he said in a tone of disappointment that promised pain. "I welcomed you into my home. Gave you jobs and benefits. I even let you drive my mech, a beautiful piece of machinery, and the only part of our plan we were able to get from Borg before he vanished."

Chen then glared harshly at them. "And how did you repay me?" he asked rhetorically. "By showing yourself to our enemies, and revealing that very mech to them! Not only did you bring us to their attention when we have been trying to _avoid_ that until we were ready, but you failed to even finish them off so there would be no witnesses!"

"We tried to kill them, but-" said Chope desperately, but Chen wasn't finished.

"You two disrespected me," the mob boss said, his expression cold. "I told you to never show the mech to one of the Ninja, and what did you do? YOU SHOWED THEM THE MECH!"

At that moment, Chen seemed to lose all the suave composure he'd been maintaining throughout the meeting, and went on a rant. "YOU HAD _ONE _JOB! _ONE **JOB!**_ Go to abduct the Serpentine villagers, and KEEP OUT OF SIGHT OF THE NINJA FORCE!"

"Uh, technically that's two jobs, sir," said Kapau.

"SILENCE!" shouted Chen standing atop his chair and throwing his arms in the air in frustration, his ball python wrapped around one of his arms for dear life. "You two have jeopardized our _entire_ plan, and didn't even bring back any Serpentine to add to our prisoners! You two are USELESS!"

Chope and Kapau huddled together in terror. "W-We'll do better next time, boss!" Chope pleaded.

"We won't be useless, we swear!" added Kapau.

Chen gave them both a sinister smirk. "Oh, you two will be of plenty of use. BY FEEDING THE SNAKES!"

With that, he dropped back into his seat and pressed a button on the armrest of the chair.

The floor dropped out from beneath Kapau and Chope, and they both fell screaming down the trapdoor.

As the trapdoor swung shut with a satisfying thud, Chen glanced at Clouse and said, "How was that?" he asked. "I make a good Godfather, right?"

"Nailed it, sir," Clouse deadpanned. "The ending was especially in character."

Chen grinned widely, missing the sarcasm completely.

Clouse then turned to look over at a smug Chen. "Sir, Skylor's birthday is not until tomorrow," he added tiredly. It would not be the first time his boss had forgotten it.

Chen looked over at him in bewilderment. "What? No! I wasn't talking about Skylor. I was talking about Chelsea," he said, waving his hand at the terrified python still clinging to his arm. He then began petting the snake and cooed, "Chelsea's my special girl, yes she is."

Chelsea the python looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there.

"Speaking of Skylor," said Chen, turning back to Clouse. "Get me my phone. I need to call her and tell her our plans are accelerating."

Clouse rolled his eyes but did as he was ordered.

* * *

Skylor smiled as she let herself into her apartment. She'd gotten it in order to live closer to the school as her father's island was too far away to make a daily commute.

It was old and dirt cheap. The place was small, the walls were thin, there were odd smells at times and it could get pretty drafty at night.

Skylor loved it!

It was the first time she'd ever lived alone away from her father's manor. Heck, away from her father in general.

It was so _freeing!_

She finally had a space to be herself where she didn't have to keep up her stoic front of the dutiful daughter whenever there could be eyes on her. She didn't need to maintain the aura of cold perfection that was expected of the heir to her father's criminal empire. She could just be Skylor, the girl who ate dinner in her pajamas in front of the tv, did her homework while lounging in bed, and could just _breathe!_

She hummed tunelessly to herself as she put her backpack away and began browsing some take-out menus for her dinner. Being waited on hand and foot in a mansion most of her life meant she didn't have much by way of domestic skills, and she was enjoying eating unhealthy meals without judgment.

It had been a good day. She was making headway on that history project, both Penny and Nya had been very helpful in getting her caught up, and Kai had offered to hang out tomorrow and show her around the city.

That was another new thing she was enjoying immensely. Having actual _friends!_

She'd never been able to interact with people her own age before, or at least, not for a long enough time to establish a connection. There had been times her father had had her infiltrate and spy on places where a young girl would be far less suspicious than one of his goons, but nothing long term.

She hadn't known becoming friends with people would be so… easy!

She hadn't expected she'd actually like them. But Kai had been incredibly friendly, eager to help her from day one, and was possibly the sweetest guy she'd ever met. Nya was inquisitive and mischievous and fun to be around. And Penny was calm and collected, but also very perceptive and downright nice.

It was still in the early stages, but she was already looking forward to school the next day to see them again.

As Skylor reached down to pick up her phone and call for a pizza, a melody began to play off of it, and she froze at the sound of the ringtone.

Just like that, her good mood vanished.

Without hesitation, she answered the phone. "Hello, Father," she said, her tone composed. She highly doubted this call was for early birthday wishes.

"_Skylor," _he replied. "_I'm afraid thanks to some buffoonery of the staff, we will have to accelerate our plans. I need you to infiltrate the rest of the Ninja Force quickly and __**especially**_ _get close to the Green Ninja. You'll have to run interference until we are ready for the final stage. Do you think you can do that, Daughter?"_

Skylor's shoulders drooped at his words, but she gave no indication of her disappointment in her voice. "Yes, Father," she said. "I'll see that it's done."

"_That's my girl,"_ said Chen, and he promptly hung up without even a 'Happy Birthday', and Skylor knew better than to expect one tomorrow either.

Skylor sighed. Suddenly not feeling hungry, she put down her phone and headed to bed.

How could she forget? No matter how much she was growing to like the twin Ninja, they were still her father's enemies. Her enemies. They would likely not survive what he had planned.

And even if they did, they'd want nothing to do with her afterward.

As Skylor curled up on her bed's lumpy mattress, her last thought was, '_At least I might still have Penny.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Skylor. She genuinely likes her new friends, and doesn't want to do what her father wants, but feels she has to. A call from Chen would definitely be a mood killer. Chen, meanwhile, gets in touch with his inner Godfather, and doesn't do the best impression. Still, he's not happy the Ninja Force now knows about his mech. At least now we know why Pixal is pretending to be Penny. Chen tricked Borg into building the Snake Mech, but when Borg found out what they were doing, he took Penny/Pixal and fled before it was finished, and they're now in hiding so Chen's forces don't find them and force them to finish it. Penny/Pixal takes their hiding very seriously and has been playing the part of a wallflower to try and avoid attention. It was working until she caught Zane's eye.
> 
> Big thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading and contributing ideas. I think having Chen do a parody of the God Father was her idea, and she has been a big help in all of this.
> 
> Next time: In the Show world, the Ninja and Julien family finally have their meeting with Dr. Borg, and Zane is immediately enchanted by his lovely assistant.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the Show world, the Ninja and Julien family finally have their meeting with Dr. Borg, and Zane is immediately enchanted by his lovely assistant.

_Show Ninjago_

Zane was not one to be vain, but he couldn't help but study his reflection in the side mirror of the car as he waited for them to be ready to depart for Borg Tower.

"Do you think I should get a loading bar as part of my upgrades?" he asked aloud to those waiting with him.

The rest of his team including Lloyd exchanged bewildered looks.

"What? No!" said Jay immediately.

"Why would you even want one, Zane?" asked Nya.

"Is it because Pep Zane had one?" asked Kai, remembering the day before with the Ninja Force.

"Oh, I remember that," piped up Lloyd. "Freckles Jay told me part of his face is a hologram so he can show stuff like that."

Zane nodded. "It seems useful."

"No way!" said Jay vehemently. "Loading bars are the worst! They're so annoying and slow! It's like the computer's way of telling me to go away and leave it alone."

Zane chuckled. "That is why I am considering one. It might be nice to have a way to indicate when I do not want to be disturbed."

"With how annoying some people can get, I do see the appeal," said Cole as he gave Jay a pointed glance.

Nya snickered at Jay's affronted look, but said, "Okay, but there has to be a better way to do that than a loading bar."

"... Maybe eye color," said a soft voice.

They all turned to see Echo and Dr. Julian approaching them, and it had been Echo that had spoken up.

"Hi, Echo!" Lloyd said, running over to the rusted nindroid.

The normally shy nindroid lit up at the sight of him and waved back, and the two began exchanging friendly pleasantries. It was a reminder to all of those watching that though Echo was the size and shape of a teenager, he was really more similar to Lloyd in age and mentality.

"What did you mean about eye color?" asked Zane as his family finished their approach.

Echo looked up from Lloyd. "You could change your eye color to signal things," he said with a shrug.

Zane inclined his head and looked thoughtful. "Hmm, that would be useful, and not just to indicate I don't want to be disturbed, different colors could signal all sorts of things."

"Like what?" asked Cole.

"Like red for danger," said Nya, catching on. "Or if he needs Kai or me for something. You could use all our colors."

"Hm, maybe something a bit more specific than that for us," said Kai. "It'd be a pretty confusing signal if it could mean three possible and pretty significant things."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," said Dr. Julian, looking like he didn't know what to think of this upgrade idea. "Let's first find out if this Borg can provide insight into the parts we'll need."

"It is something we can work out later," Zane agreed.

With that, they climbed into a dragon-shaped jeep to head for the city.

"This is an unusual design for this vehicle," said Dr. Julian as they went, examining the interior. "How was it built."

"I think it's cool," said Echo.

"My counterpart made it," said Lloyd proudly. "He used Master Building to do it."

"Dragons are kind of a signature for him, so most things he makes have that design," said Jay.

"Counterpart?" asked Dr. Julian with a frown at Lloyd. Then his eyes widened in recognition. "Oh yes, the boy who was a teenage version of you from another world. He built this?"

"He built us a ton of stuff a while ago," said Cole.

"Used up half my parents' junkyard to do it," added Jay.

"Master Building," said Dr. Julian as he examined the jeep. "Fascinating."

"He taught us how to do it too," said Nya. "Me and Jay, mostly, and he taught it to Zane too."

At his father and brother's surprised look, Zane looked humble. "I just know the basics. Nya and Jay are much better at it than me."

"Even so, that is impressive, Zane," said Dr. Julian.

"Can you show me?" asked Echo eagerly.

"When we're not in a moving car, yes," said Zane, looking flustered.

"Cool!" said Echo brightly.

Everyone else could already tell Zane was deep in thought about what he should build to impress his family.

When they arrive in Ninjago City, they can all see the recent additions Borg's company has made. There are new neon lights everywhere, and signs promising upgrades and new tech on the way.

"Wow," said Nya, who was driving the jeep and staring around at the changes in wonder. "Leave town a short-"

"Eyes on the road!" shouted Dr. Julian, making all of them jump at his tone.

Nya's gaze snapped back to the front and narrowly avoided hitting a truck. "Oh, sorry," she said.

Seeing the collision avoided, and Nya paying more attention, Dr. Julian breathed a sigh of relief. "I apologize for shouting," he said. "But the jostling from a collision would not be good for Echo."

"Yeah, he falls apart enough as it is. Also, not dying is nice," said Jay, making Nya shoot him a glare before returning her eyes to the road again.

It was only a few minutes later they pulled up in front of a tower. The place used to be an office building, but from the looks of things, it was growing ever taller as the company became more successful with construction on the uppermost floors working to increase its height.

"I heard they're planning to make this place the tallest building in Ninjago," said Jay, having read up on the place before coming.

"That sounds rather reckless," said Dr. Julian, looking up at it skeptically. "The original building's foundations would not be able to support so much weight and adding additional supports to rectify that will be costly. It would be better to simply leave the building as it is."

"There is always room for improvement, Father," Zane said as they walked towards the sliding doors into the building.

After a humorous incident where Kai was hit by the sliding door, they all marveled at the sight of the lobby. The place looked even more futuristic on the inside than it did outside.

As they looked around in interest, a soft slightly-computerized voice spoke behind them. "Welcome to Borg Industries," said the voice as they turned to face the speaker, and Zane could only stare in amazement.

She was an android with metallic silver skin and purple circuitry decorating her face. Her long shining silver hair was held up in a ponytail, and she was dressed in a purple one-shoulder tunic with red accents. "I'm Pixal," she said. "Cyrus' Primary Interactive eXternal Assistant Lifeform. I am glad you made it here safely."

"Almost didn't," Cole couldn't help but remark. "This place sure has changed."

"There was some need for repairs after the earthquakes shook the city some time ago," explained Pixal. "Thankfully, the damage was not as bad as it could have been."

The Ninja all exchanged glances and Cole winced, knowing he was part of the reason it wasn't worse.

Dr. Julian studied her up and down. "You must be the android Borg mentioned in his message."

"Yes, I am," replied Pixal with a nod. She then turned to Zane. "You are Zane, a droid like me?" she asked. "What does Zane stand for?"

Zane looked flustered at her attention. "I stand for peace, freedom, and courage in the face of all who thre-"

"She means your name, Tinhead," Jay interjected rudely, bringing Zane's words to a swift halt.

Zane blinked at that, oh, that makes more sense. "I… guess I'm just Zane," he said smiling at her.

Pixal turned to Dr. Julian. "His name is not an acronym for something?" she asked.

"No, I named him after my own father," said Dr. Julian with a fond smile.

Zane and Echo Zane exchanged glances, not having known that before, but happy to hear so.

The exchange caused Pixal to notice Echo for the first time. "I did not know you had more than one android," she said. "Is he Zane as well?"

As always when he was the center of attention, Echo ducked behind whoever was closest to him to hide. In this case, it was Lloyd, making a rather comical scene of the taller nindroid hiding behind the small child. To his credit, Lloyd took the position with pride, puffing up his chest to glare at Pixal protectively, and let Echo lift up the cape of his skeleton hoodie to hide his face.

Seeing his brother was not up for answering, Zane did so instead. "Initially, yes. However, he prefers the name Echo instead, which is also not an acronym."

Pixal looked at Echo, her face betraying nothing of what she could be thinking at the sight of the shy and rusted nindroid. She instead turned back to Dr. Julian. "Permission to scan?" she asked.

Though he hadn't been asked directly, Zane let out a dreamy, "Uh… permission granted."

Echo, meanwhile, remained firmly behind Lloyd and frantically shook his head.

"You may scan Zane if you like, though that's not necessary," said Dr. Julian, looking amused at his sons' reactions. "The reason I asked for this meeting was to go over both of their blueprints. I'm afraid there are things I will need Borg's opinion on."

"I see," said Pixal. "Perhaps the scan will help with that." She then turned her gaze back to Zane and a light shown out of her eyes and looked him over from head to toe.

Jay let out a snicker and leaned over to whisper to Nya. "Check it out, Zane has an admirer."

"Your hardware is outdated, and your processor is slow and incompatible with ours," Pixal said bluntly as she finished her scan.

Nya winced at those words. "Maybe not," she whispered back to her boyfriend.

Dr. Julian looked like he was trying not to be insulted by Pixal's words. They'd already known both Zane and definitely Echo's machinery were out of date, it was the whole reason they were there, but…

"It's true, but you shouldn't say it," Zane replied Pixal.

Pixal blinked, and everyone looked at him in confusion. The way he'd said it made it sound like it should be a joke, but they all missed most of the meaning.

Seeing this, Zane ducked his head in slight embarrassment. "I apologize, I'm afraid someone has been introducing me to memes."

Pixal still looked confused but seemed to shrug it off. "There is something I find peculiar. All droids must recharge our batteries. Yet, curiously, I'm unable to locate your energy source." She reached out to place a hand on Zane's chest over here his heart would be if he were human. "What powers you?" she asked.

Zane stuttered at her touch as he tried to reply, and his father took pity on him. "What powers him is something very special, and one of a kind," said Dr. Julian. "I can't say too much about it, only that it was a gift from an old friend. Echo, meanwhile, runs on clockwork, so he's fine so long as he's wound up."

Pixal cocked her head but accepted that answer. "Mr. Borg would like to see you on the top floor. However, for those of you who are not as interested in the meeting are welcome to come with me for a tour."

Lloyd, Cole, and Kai looked more interested in the tour than the meeting but still glanced over at Zane. "We're here to support you, Zane. Do you want us to come along?" asked Cole.

Zane sent him an appreciative glance. "Thank you, but I do not think that would be necessary. If you want to go on the tour, you are welcome to. Perhaps you will find something our far away friends would be interested in hearing about."

Kai caught the hidden meaning in his words and nodded, knowing he meant the Ninja Force's mystery as to what happened to their Cyrus Borg.

Echo looked hesitantly at the elevator, before hiding back behind Lloyd's cape. "I don't want to go up that high," he said. "It's taller than the lighthouse."

"Then you may come on the tour as well," offered Pixal. "It is no trouble."

Echo still looked hesitant, but Lloyd said, "Don't worry, Echo. If anything bad happens…" He then cupped his hands together and summoned a ball of energy. Immediately, all the technology around then began to glitch at the energy fluctuations caused by it.

"I-I a-a-a-ask you t-to please stop-p-p," said Pixal, who was glitching as well, though strangely Echo and Zane were both fine.

Lloyd vanished the energy orb and grinned cheekily as the nearby workers quickly fixed any problems that had caused.

Pixal rubbed her head as she recovered, before giving the little Green Ninja a firm glare. "I must request that you do not do that again while on these premises. Much of the equipment further in the building is very sensitive, and could be damaged by such fluctuations."

Lloyd shrugged. "Okay, I'll save it for if the machines in the building turn evil and try to start a robot apocalypse," he said with a smirk.

Pixal's glare remained firm, and Kai reached over to place a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "We'll keep him in line," the Fire Ninja promised.

Pixal nodded and turned to give start the tour while Dr. Julian, Zane, Jay, and Nya entered the elevator to finally meet with Borg.

As they fully split off, Cole leaned over to Zane and whispered, "I'll try to get her number for you, loverboy."

Zane ducked his head in embarrassment but looked pleased. "Thank you," he muttered back.

"So where'd you learn to do that?" Kai asked Lloyd as they followed after Pixal.

"At Uncle G's place," said Lloyd. "I did it on accident when I first got there and freaked out about, you know, being in a volcano. Just be glad I didn't explode any light bulbs this time."

"Nice," said Cole with a laugh.

"You were in a volcano?" asked Echo sounding fascinated.

Ahead of them, Pixal looked like she was regretting offering a tour, and wondering if she should cut her losses and just kick them out now.

* * *

The elevator took them up to the uppermost floor of the building that wasn't under construction. Though, thanks to said construction, it wouldn't be the highest for much longer.

The floor they came out on seemed to reflect this as well. While there were several computers and other pieces of technology scattered about, nothing there seemed permanent. As if the owner of the space planned to pick up and move as soon as a different floor was available to him.

Speaking of the owner, the man whose name was on the side of the building greeted them from behind his desk. "I would have guessed ninja to sneak in the window, not use the elevator," he called to them jokingly.

"We would, but some of us aren't ninja," Nya replied, indicating Dr. Julian and giving Zane and Jay her own sly look.

Zane's mouth twitched, and he covered it to hide his smile. While Nya had discovered her affinity for water, she had yet to share it with the rest of Ninjago and instead had taken a leaf out of her counterpart's book to keep it a secret trump card. Especially with the power so weak when Luh-Loyd wasn't around.

Jay, meanwhile, had missed the joke entirely, as he was too busy fanboying over the sight of the tech mogul. "Oh my gosh," he said with a huge gasp. "Are you- Are you-?"

"Cyrus Borg," the man at the desk introduced himself, seeming flattered by Jay's excitement. "Yes, unfortunately when my parents gave me a name like that my future in technology was predetermined."

To emphasize that point, Borg slowly moved out from behind his desk revealing an advanced looking motorized wheelchair. Upon seeing the awkward expressions on his guests' faces at that reveal, he shrugged it off with an air that he was used to it. "Ah yes, this. Sadly, I've been disabled all my life. Eh, but it's nothing my mind can't fix. I already have blueprints for an improved way to move around just over there."

He pointed to a set of blueprints detailing a spider-like machine. From the looks of things, once it was done it could crawl around and maneuver much better than a wheelchair.

Still, Borg noticed Nya's expression of slight distaste at the sight of it. "Is something wrong?" he asked curiously.

"No, nothing's wrong," said Nya, not wanting to insult him.

Borg laughed, seeing right through her attempts at politeness. "Go ahead and speak your mind," he said. "Listening to criticism with an open ear is part of how I got this far."

Nya hesitated a moment, before saying, "The machine looks like it'll work great, it's just the design that's kinda… creepy."

Jay nodded in agreement. "Yeah, like a giant killer robot spider," he said, earning a look from Nya at how bluntly he'd said it.

Borg blinked and looked at his design. Now that they mentioned it…

"Hmm, you bring up a point I hadn't considered. Perhaps there are some minor adjustments I can make to the design to make it come off as less threatening," he said thoughtfully, taking a pencil to add a note to do such to the blueprint.

"I find things that appear less sharp do not cause as many feelings of discomfort," offered Zane.

"And maybe not so many legs," Jay couldn't resist adding.

"I'll keep that in mind," said Borg.

He then turned to face Dr. Julian. "I must say, it was an honor to hear that not only were you answering my invitation but that you wanted my assistance on something, Dr. Julian," he said in a tone like he was meeting his hero. "As I said in my message, I have admired your work immensely over the years, and I am happy to help in any way I can."

Dr. Julian was looking around at Borg's office with an expression that was both fascinated and somewhat lost. Realizing he had been addressed, he turned to look over at Borg. "Well, I appreciate the offer," he said. "Technology these days is… far different than what I know. Some insight on such would be helpful."

Borg beamed when he heard that. "I am here to serve," he said. "What seems to be the problem."

"We came here for… for…" Dr. Julian started to say but trailed off with a confused expression. "What did we come here for?"

"For parts, Father," said Zane patiently. "The materials you used to build me are not made anymore, and we need to know what we can use for replacements."

Dr. Julian's confusion cleared some. "Ah yes," he said. "My son has recently been quite insistent on getting upgraded, as his parts are no longer up to date. Something your assistant downstairs was happy to point out."

Realizing what must have happened, Borg rubbed the back of his head. "I see, I apologize if Pixal came off as blunt. I assure you she meant no harm by it and was only stating what she believes is fact."

"Yes, well, she wasn't wrong," admitted Dr. Julian.

"It is not just me getting upgraded, Father, remember?" asked Zane pointedly when he failed to mention Echo.

Dr. Julian winced as he realized he'd been beginning to forget again. He was just glad Echo hadn't been there to hear it, as he knew it hurt the younger Nindroid every time. "Yes, my other son, Echo, is looking to get an upgrade as well. One I'm afraid he's in direr a need of."

"Echo?" asked Borg looking fascinated. "I didn't realize you built a second son."

"Not many do," said Dr. Julian. "In his state, I'm afraid it is not sensible for him to be out much. It would be far too easy for him to get hurt." He paused and glanced at Zane. "We brought him with us, correct?" he said softly to check if his memory was right.

Zane nodded.

"He's downstairs with the others on the tour with Pixal," said Nya.

Hearing this, Borg wheeled over to one of his computers and pulled up the security feed of the lower levels.

They saw Echo with Kai, Cole, and Lloyd looking interested as Pixal was showing them what appeared to be some kind of video game system.

Borg zoomed the camera in on Echo and adjusted his glasses so he could get a better look at him. "Oh my," he said, seeing the bronze-colored nindroid. "That's quite a difference between him and Zane."

"Yes, I'm afraid I didn't have the same materials available that I did when I built Zane because I was…" Dr. Julian trailed off as he frowned. "I was… Where was I?"

Zane walked over and put a comforting hand on his father's shoulder.

Seeing Borg begin to look alarmed at Dr. Julian's continued forgetfulness, Nya explained, "Dr. Julian's been having trouble with his memory lately." She didn't explain further, allowing the genius to draw his own conclusions from that.

"It's part of why we need your help with the upgrades," added Jay.

Borg looked like he was understanding the awkward discomfort others felt when they first saw his wheelchair. "Yes, well," he said trying to get back on track. "I was just going to say your second son is quite the marvel too. I know from when I built Pixal that creating an android is far from easy, and you were able to make him with limited supplies, and from the looks of things, to run on clockwork of all things. It's really quite incredible."

Dr. Julian looked surprised and pleased to hear that. When most people looked at Echo, all they saw was his rusted metal and easily detached limbs. Almost nobody ever saw the delicate workings put in to allow the nindroid to live when made from scrap metal and wind-up gears. But Borg saw that right away and marveled at it.

It was at that moment, Dr. Julian knew he could trust this man with his sons.

"Thank you," the elderly doctor said. "However, as incredible as his clockwork design is, I'm afraid it has proven it was not built to last. Echo is in desperate need of a body that doesn't fall apart on him."

As if to emphasize that point, one of the machines seemed to malfunction and they saw Echo's leg disconnected from him on the video screen as a result of trying to get out of the way, and it was only thanks to Cole's quick reflexes he didn't crash to the floor.

Wincing at the sight, Nya said, "I'll go fix that while you guys start talking parts."

"You got it," said Jay waving at his girlfriend as she hurried for the elevator. "Hurry back, the fun's only just started."

"So," said Dr. Julian as he pulled out the blueprints to place on Borg's desk. "Why did you choose this building for your business? Especially if you wish to build it as tall as you plan. Wouldn't it be better to leave it as is, or make a new one with the necessary supports already in place? Modifying this building to be even taller is seems like an unnecessary extra hassle."

Borg chuckled. "Oh, I've heard that question many times. The answer is, I chose this building for the location."

"The location?" asked Zane.

"What's so special about this place?" asked Jay.

"You recall the quakes caused by the Serpentine that you stopped some months ago, correct," said Borg.

Both the ninja nodded. It wasn't really something you forget. Especially with the impact, it had on Cole.

"Everyone knows you stopped it," Borg continued. "But what no one knows is why the city didn't fall when it should have. All that we do know is whatever kept it up was right beneath our feet when it happened."

Zane looked down at the floor. "You mean…?" he asked.

"Yes," said Borg excitedly. "This building was built on that one foundation that didn't crumble. Where the forces of evil tried to knock us down, but one pillar of support kept us aloft until you Ninja were able to repair the damage. I hope that this building will stand as a testament that no matter what disasters might come our way, we will stand tall and strive to be even better. I only wish I knew which support in the sewers below us it was that kept us all from falling."

Jay covered his mouth and snickered. "I'll tell you which one," he said, pointing at the screen still showing Cole attempting to put Echo's leg back in place while Kai and Lloyd watched alongside Pixal and made no real efforts to help. "He's right there helping Echo."

Borg's jaw dropped, and he looked at the video screen in awe. "You mean to tell me the Black Ninja is what held up the _entire city?"_ he asked in amazement. "By _himself?"_

"No, not by himself," said Zane. "There was a friend he had with him that helped exponentially. It is not a feat he could do otherwise."

Borg looked blown away. "Even so, I had not realized you were so powerful," he said.

Jay grinned. "What can I say," he said. "We're awesome."

* * *

At first, the tour had been going well. Pixal was a good tour guide, and all the things she was showing them were interesting to even a tech-hater like Kai. Especially when she was showing them the virtual video game simulator where you plug your mind into the game and play it like you're really there.

But of course, these were the Ninja we're talking about. Something inevitably went wrong.

In this case, the video game simulator chair began spinning out of control, waking up the person testing it with a yelp as he whirled around at rapid speeds before being flung out of it and crashing into Kai. Parts of the chair began flying off as well, shooting everything from bolts to the armrest in every direction.

The tour group scrambled to get away, but in his attempt to do so, Echo felt his leg get left behind as he ran for cover. Luckily for him, Cole managed to grab his arm and keep him upright so he didn't fall on his face.

Finally, what was left of the simulator sputtered and died, the screen attached to it going black.

Pixal hurried over to help the game tester off of Kai and make sure neither was hurt, while Lloyd retrieved Echo's missing leg. Cole took it from him with a nod of thanks and tried to reattach it to Echo, but to no avail.

"Jeez, Jay and Nya make it look so easy when they do it," Cole complained as he failed to get the leg to stick back in place.

"You're doing it wrong," said Echo as he sat down to avoid falling.

"Do you know how to fix it?" asked Cole, slightly annoyed at the young nindroid's comment.

Echo nodded.

"Wanna do it yourself?" Cole offered, seeing as he had no clue what to do.

Echo just looked at him, then leaned forward to show it wasn't physically possible for him to lean far enough over to see the damage and fix it.

Cole huffed at the sight and continued trying.

"Does this kind of thing happen often?" asked Kai as he brushed himself off from being the landing pad for the game tester. It was the second time today that he'd been knocked flat by something in this building. First the front door and now this.

"Normally, no," said Pixal as she waved the tester off to take a break. She then turned to walk over and examined the chair that had malfunctioned. "Recently, however, there have been… issues."

"Issues? What kind of issues?" asked Cole, his face lit up as he thought he got Echo's leg in place, only to fall when the leg popped right back out. Lloyd snickered at his misfortune.

Pixal hesitated.

"Come on, we're heroes, maybe we can help," Kai prompted.

Pixal mulled it over a little longer, then said, "There has been a recent string of incidents since we relocated to this building. At first, it seemed like common problems that could be explained by the move. Things being misplaced and turning up broken, and the like. Recently, however, they have seemed more… dangerous."

"Dangerous how?" asked Kai, sharing a concerned glance with Cole.

"Prototypes that were deemed hazardous have been reported missing," said Pixal. "And on occasion, events like the one we just experienced would occur and place people nearby in dangerous positions. It has happened too many times to be a coincidence."

"Is someone sabotaging you?" asked Echo from where he was waiting for his leg to be reattached.

Pixal sighed. "I… don't know," she admitted. "But I am beginning to suspect so. However, I have no idea how. So far no one has shown up on our security cameras to do the sabotage."

Cole and Kai exchanged a glance. That didn't sound good.

"Still, I am unaware who could want to do harm to Cyrus Borg, or his company," continued Pixal. "Our company is still fairly new, and we do not have any enemies."

"No one?" asked Lloyd, looking skeptical. If his schooling at Darkley's had taught him anything, it was this. "Everybody's got somebody who doesn't like them."

"Well, I suppose there is the curator at the history museum," admitted Pixal, who didn't look like she fully bought into the idea. "But he seems to simply dislike technology in general. I do not think his distaste for it would lead to sabotage, nor would he have the means to do such."

"Can't say I blame him," said Kai. "Present company and Zane not included, technology seems like nothing but trouble to me."

"Ironic, since Buddy seems glued to his phone," Lloyd whispered to him, earning an eye-roll from Kai at the mention of his counterpart.

"We'll look into it," Cole promised Pixal while he once again failed to reattach Echo's leg. "Give me your number, and we'll call you with any updates."

Pixal reached into her tunic to pull out a Borg Industries business card and handed it to Kai since Cole currently had his hands full.

"You're really bad at this," said Lloyd bluntly as the leg once again fell out of its socket, and Echo nodded in agreement.

Cole shot them an irritated look, but thankfully at that moment, Nya showed up.

"Here, let me get that," she said, kneeling down to take the leg from Cole and reattached it with ease.

When Echo was up and kicking again, Cole let out a sigh of relief. "You are a goddess, Nya. A mechanically gifted goddess. Thanks."

Nya preened at the praise. "It's no problem," she said, before turning to the young Nindroid testing out his leg. "How's it feel."

"Much better. Thank you, Nya," said Echo with a smile at her, glad he was able to walk again.

"Happy to help," said Nya, waving off the thanks. "I better get back upstairs to help Dr. Julian and Jay work out a way it doesn't happen anymore."

She turned to go back the way she'd come, only to pause, and glance over at Pixal. "Uh, which way's the elevator again?"

"Out of this room, and down the hall to the left," Pixal replied.

"Thanks," said Nya as she hurried off.

Once she was out of sight, the rest of them continued the tour, this time with the addition of Pixal pointing out places where the possible sabotage had happened as well.

Maybe they had a lead to what happened to the other world's Borg after all.

* * *

Nya let out a sigh of frustration.

Pixal had said the elevator was just outside this testing room, but unfortunately, the testing room itself was very big and jam-packed with machines that were being worked on. It was a miracle she had managed to find them in the first place. Suddenly the building's expansion upwards was making a lot more sense, as they'd actually need the space so things were less crowded.

As it was, she hadn't even left the room yet and had gotten completely turned around just trying to get out.

Seeing she would need directions again, she looked around for anyone who could point her in the right direction.

She spotted a woman who seemed to be checking over something that looked like a pink pinball machine with hearts all over the sides, and the words Perfect Match painted on the front.

"Excuse me, where's the elevator?" asked Nya as she approached the woman.

The woman gave her a friendly smile. "Got lost, huh," she said in a bubbly voice. "Happens to me all the time here. Don't worry, the exit's just over there," she added, pointing behind her.

"Thanks," said Nya as she moved to pass her, but she looked at the machine she was working on as she did so. "What is this thing, anyway? Some kind of game?"

"In a way, it's a game of love," said the woman with a cheerful wink. "This is the Perfect Match consul. It just finished testing and is sure to be the next big craze. It finds your perfect partner with flawless accuracy." She then gave Nya a grin. "Want to try it out? Romance awaits a pretty girl like you."

Nya let out a laugh at the description but stepped towards the machine anyway. "I doubt a machine can know someone's-" she started to say, but the heart-shaped section she stood on lit up, and a computerized voice cut her off.

"Hello, Nya," said the computerized voice said the machine. "You are an independent, self-confident young woman, who refuses to be in a 'boy's club,' and analyzing match now."

Nya grinned at the flattering words and watched as the machine began to light up. It had to be about to show Jay, he'd be thrilled to hear they were apparently a 'perfect match.'

But then the face that appeared in the hologram had Nya turning pale and backing away from the machine in horror.

It-it couldn't be… She was dating _Jay!_ Why was this machine showing her… _Cole?_

The woman who had been working on it let out a whistle. "Oh wow, that's one of those Ninja Hero guys! You're one lucky girl, Miss," she said, but when she turned to look back at Nya, she was surprised to see she was now alone. Looking around in confusion, the woman called again, "Miss?"

But Nya had already reached the elevator and smashed on the up button with so much force, she was surprised she didn't actually break it.

Once the door opened and she was inside, she slumped against the elevator's back wall as it began rising upwards.

"It was just a stupid machine," she tried to assure herself. "It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't _change_ anything."

So what if Jay's comments annoyed her sometimes, or Cole's compliments made her feel appreciated. That didn't mean she was fated to be with one over the other. Especially not because a computer told her to.

She tried to force the incident to the back of her mind so when she got back to Borg's office no one would think anything was wrong.

After all, nothing _was_ wrong. That machine was a hack, Cole was a friend, and she loved Jay…

… Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, had to do it. While I hate the forced love-triangle that pops up between Jay Nya and Cole (which will not happen here), I do feel Nya questioning her feelings about Jay and them separating helped them realize the flaws in their relationship and become the awesome couple we have in current seasons. This time, however, Nya has other people she can go to for advice on what to do, so that'll come in handy. Meanwhile, Kai and Cole stumble on a mystery of who's sabotaging Borg's company and does it have any similarities to why Borg vanished in the movie world. And of course, Zane is instantly smitten by Pixal, but sadly she doesn't feel the same way just yet.
> 
> A big thanks to Kay Hau for all the help she gave. A lot of story beats for things in the show-verse chapters came from her, and she was a massive help in writing this.
> 
> Next Time: Skylor's not expecting much for her birthday, but Kai won't let that stand.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skylor's not expecting much for her birthday, but Kai won't let that stand.

_Movie Ninjago_

When Kai spotted Skylor and opened his mouth to greet her in front of the school the next morning, he had to pause at the very sight of her.

Skylor looked awful. Her clothes were rumpled, there were bags under her eyes like she hadn't slept, and her usual French braid had strands of hair falling out of it.

So instead of saying hello, Kai went over to her and asked, "Are you okay?"

Skylor gave him a tired smile. "I'm fine," she said, "just… didn't sleep well last night."

If anything, that made Kai's concern grow. "Why? Did something happen?" he asked.

Skylor looked away from him, and said, "It's nothing really. It's just… the first time I've had my birthday away from my dad. He's… busy with work today, so I won't see him at all."

Kai stopped dead in his tracks. "IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!" he shouted, causing all the students in the courtyard in front of the school to stop and look at them.

Skylor looked surprised at his reaction but tried to shrug it off. "Yeah, it's not really a big deal, but…"

"If I give you a birthday hug will you punch me?" asked Kai, already holding his arms open.

Skylor only has time to give a startled, "No," before Kai's arms are around her. At first, she felt stiff in his embrace, like she's never been given a hug before, but eventually the warmth of Kai's hug registers, and she practically melts.

When Kai lets her go, she was blushing and looked a little disappointed it was ending. "Thanks, that was… really something," she said.

The Fire Ninja grinned at her. "That was a Kai Hug™. Best hugs in Ninjago or anywhere else."

"I believe it," said Skylor with a laugh.

"So what are you planning on doing?" asked Kai.

"Doing?" asked Skylor.

"Yeah, it's your birthday," said Kai, like this should be obvious. "I know we said we'd hang out, but you gotta be doing something fun after school. What are you going to do?"

Skylor looked at him as if the thought hadn't even occurred to her. "I… wasn't planning on anything," she said. "It's really not a big deal. It's just a day."

Kai stared at her. "It's your _birthday!"_ he repeated.

Skylor just shrugged and headed into the school building. Kai trailed behind her, his mind racing.

It was her birthday, and yet she seemed like she wasn't even looking forward to it. Even Lloyd, for as bad as his birthday had turned out, had been looking forward to the day. If Garmadon hadn't attacked and ruined Lloyd's mood, they'd all planned to have a surprise party for him at the mech warehouse after training, but instead, he'd run off home after talking to Wu having still been in a funk about the day's events. They had made sure to make up for it on another day.

But Skylor, she actually looked bummed about the day.

That wouldn't do. He had to tell his team and Penny (she seemed to become pretty fast friends with Nya and Skylor). While he was hopeless at such things, they were sure to come up with a plan that would both cheer Skylor up, and give her a birthday that was something to celebrate.

Resolving to tell them as soon as he could. Kai headed to grab his things from his locker and into his first class.

But then Skylor came into the classroom and sat down. She usually sat in the back corner where people wouldn't see her unless they specifically looked in that direction, as Kai was doing now.

Not anticipating people looking at her, Skylor dropped the tired but friendly mask Kai had seen when he greeted her that morning. The expression on her face was even more dismal than her appearance. She looked blank like she had been emotionally hollowed out and then forced to go to school.

It was an expression Kai unfortunately recognized. He'd seen it on Lloyd back when the bullying had been particularly bad. He'd seen it on Jay after his more horrible panic attacks. He'd seen it on Cole whenever his mother had gone to the hospital and came back with bad news. He'd seen it on Zane on one unfortunate occasion when Echo had been hit by a car, and they were waiting for his father to repair him. He'd even seen it on his own sister on those few days their Lloyd had been lost to another dimension and she was left stressed and exhausted trying to lead them in his place.

It was an expression Kai absolutely _hated_ to see on his loved ones' faces and one that definitely did _not_ belong on Skylor's on her own birthday.

For as much as his teammates could probably come up with a better plan than him, this couldn't wait!

Kai surged to his feet with his hand in the air, startling his teacher who had just walked in.

"Sorry, Mrs. Write," he said rapidly before he lost his nerve. "But I just remembered I have a super important Emergency Ninja Mission, so I gotta go!"

Mrs. Write didn't even have time to give him permission to leave before Kai walked on top of the desks to Skylor, picked her up out of her seat in bridal style, and raced out of the room with her before the redhead even had a chance to react, much less the rest of the students.

When the Fire Ninja was gone, he left a stunned silence in his wake.

Mrs. Write finally found her voice and looked over at the members of the Ninja Force still sitting in the classroom. "Sh-shouldn't you go with him?" she asked hesitantly.

The other five Ninja exchanged a glance. They had no more clue what happened than the rest of the students there, but they trusted Kai. If it was actually an emergency he would have said something to them.

So instead, Nya just shrugged. "It's a solo mission," she said.

Their teacher blinked at them owlishly. "A solo mission… that requires Skylor?"

Without missing a beat, Lloyd nodded. "It's top secret. Can't tell you anything about it."

"We will be sure to bring them both class notes later," Zane promised.

Mrs. Write still looked bewildered, but accepted the excuse and started the class.

The five remaining Ninja in the class, however, made sure to keep their phones in eyesight throughout it.

Kai had better have a heck of an explanation for this.

* * *

"So explain to me why your 'Emergency Ninja Mission' requires you to take me out on a boat when we should be in school?" asked Skylor.

Kai, who had been distracting himself from the fact they were surrounded by water by texting his friends what was going on, looked over at her.

"It's your birthday," he said simply. "So we're going to have fun."

Skylor looked at him like he was crazy. "Are you sure? Because you don't look like you're having fun right now," she said.

Kai looked down to where he was wearing a life vest while sitting on top of a life preserver inside an inflated lifeboat and positioned in the middle of the actual boat as far away from any of the sides as he could be. "Fun starts when we get off this deathtrap," he said.

Skylor turned away and giggled into her fist. Kai knew he must make a ridiculous sight, but it was worth it to make her laugh (and be as safe from the water as he could possibly be).

Finally, the boat pulled into the dock, and Kai ran off as soon as possible with Skylor following at a more sedated pace.

"So… why are we here?" asked Skylor, staring upwards at the inside of Garmadon's volcano looming over them.

"If we go to have fun in town we'll get caught playing hooky," said Kai.

"And they won't realize we're doing that here?" said Skylor skeptically.

"Nah, they'll totally know we ditched school," said Kai with a shrug. "They just won't care."

As if to prove his point, a guard dressed as a sea urchin walked by and said, "Oh, hi Fire Ninja," before continuing on his way without another word.

Kai waved to the guard and sent Skylor a look that plainly said, 'See!' before leading her further inwards.

Skylor rolled her eyes. While ditching school had not been her plan for the day, she had to admit she could see the appeal, especially after last night…

She quickly shook herself to get rid of the thought as soon as it arose. Nope, not thinking about that. That was a problem for Future Skylor, Now Skylor was too busy being dragged through a formerly-evil volcanic lair to be worried about that.

With some minor difficulty (the place was basically a maze, and Kai usually didn't come there for anything but his bodyguarding lessons on the other side of the volcano), Kai finally came to a halt in front of the doors he was looking for. "Here we are," he said absently as he pressed the button on the side so they slid open.

"And where are we exactly?" asked Skylor as they stepped inside.

The whole place looked like a large empty room with only a small computer console by the door as the only thing in the entire space.

Kai grinned and walked over to the computer to turn it on. "Well, you know how Garmadon has a whole team of scientists, right?" he said as he searched for the settings he wanted.

"Yeah…" said Skylor slowly, wondering where he was going with this. Was this room some kind of invention?

Kai shot her a grin. "Well, the first time I visited here, he showed us this place and told us, 'What's the use of having a building full of scientists if they don't build you all the cool sci-fi stuff?'" he said with a gruff mimic of the former warlord's voice.

Skylor looked around the room with new interest. "So what's the sci-fi stuff you've got in here?" she asked.

Kai pressed the final button on the computer, and the entire room shimmered.

Skylor stared around in amazement as the empty room vanished before her eyes and in its place was a large cyberpunk city full of neon lights that shined in the night and reflected brightly against the rain-soaked surroundings.

Wall next to Kai slid open, and he pulled out a pair of what looked like toy laser guns, "Welcome to the holo-deck. The best place there is to have any setting you want." he then handed one of the toy guns to the stunned girl. "So, fancy a few rounds of laser tag?"

Skylor took the gun without much thought as a slow grin spread across her face. "You're _on!"_ she said.

* * *

It was pretty inevitable that Lord Garmadon would eventually find them. It _was_ his volcano after all.

"Shouldn't you kids be in school?" he asked from where he suddenly appeared in the middle of their fourth game, with the setting having changed to that of post-apocalyptic wasteland, and the two teenagers commercially froze in mid-battle at the sight of him. When using the holo-deck the door was completely invisible, making people arriving unexpectedly jarring, especially since Garmadon had appeared out of nowhere.

Kai recovered first and gestured at Skylor. "It's her birthday, so we ditched."

Garmadon's eyes narrowed, then he grinned. "Nice," he said, always one to praise delinquency.

Skylor looked at him in bewilderment. "You're not going to make us go back?" she asked.

Garmadon blew a raspberry at the very idea. "Heck _no!_ I only gotta be responsible about my own kid. And if one of my dumb brother's little students is doing something bad, well, watching him try to keep up his wise old man act when he's ticked is always solid entertainment," he said, ignoring the fact that Kai was his student too on weekends for bodyguard lessons.

From the way she was staring, it was clear Skylor had no idea what to make of the supposedly fearsome former warlord.

Kai, meanwhile, winced slightly. Now that he mentioned it, Wu was sure to find out he'd used his Ninja status to ditch school when it wasn't strictly an emergency. Hopefully, the fact that he did it to help Skylor would lessen the punishment he was sure to get somewhat.

He was brought out of his realization by Lord Garmadon giving them an evil grin. "You know, I haven't had an actual challenge in awhile now. If you're gonna use _my_ equipment, I might as well get some fun out of it too."

Kai and Skylor exchanged a glance. It _was _his facility after all, and if they said no, he'd probably just kick them out.

"What did you have in mind?" asked Kai slowly.

Lord Garmadon's grin widened.

When everything was set, Kai really shouldn't have been surprised.

For as much as Lord Garmadon strived to be on the side of good, they had all seen the temptation to go back to being a villain rear its ugly head from time to time since his redemption.

It sometimes happened because someone was unfortunate enough to tick him off enough that he wanted to rip them limb from limb. It took a lot of talking from Lloyd (and occasionally at least letting Garmadon do something nonviolent but humiliating to his target, Lil'Loyd was full of ideas there) to get him to back down.

But more often than not, the reason for Garmadon to want to return to evil was simply that he was _bored._

In the time knowing him as a person more than just a villain, it had quickly become clear that if Lord Garmadon had ever successfully taken over Ninjago he'd have been utterly lost as to what to actually do about that. It was never the end goal that had him keep coming back in a new mech no matter how many times the Ninja Force smacked him down. It was the _challenge_. Being able to fight and destroy things with the Ninja Force trying to stop him had been _fun!_ A type of challenge that he clearly missed with his new status as a non-evil-doer.

So when Kai and Skylor found themselves facing off against Garmadon, who had changed the setting to a futuristic spaceship straight out of a sci-fi movie where he was playing the part of the cackling evil ruler and they were the plucky rebels trying to take him down, the Fire Ninja really couldn't find it in himself to be surprised.

"You know!" he called to the former-warlord-pretending-to-be-an-active-warlord as he weaved through holographic laser fire to get to him. "If you want we can do, I don't know, some simulated mech battles out in the desert or something! I know Lloyd rebuilt your favorite mech! We could do training that way!"

Garmadon paused in his attacks to think about that. "The idea does have merit," he said, trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice.

"Wouldn't that violate his house arrest?" asked Skylor from where she'd been hiding, she then popped out to take a shot before ducking back undercover.

"Only if I get caught!" Garmadon called back to her as he blasted at her hiding place.

He was then surprised to see the hiding spot missing the redhead, and he scratched his head wondering where she went.

Only to be taken down from behind by said redhead, having somehow looped around to shoot him in the back, ending the game in the rebels' victory.

Garmadon immediately whipped around and shouted, "No fair, no one told me she was a Ninja too!"

Skylor blinked and looked startled at that accusation. "I-I'm not a Ninja!" she protested.

"She's not," Kai agreed, remembering the fight he'd seen when he first saw her. "She's just really good at martial arts."

Hearing he'd been beaten by a regular martial artist and not even a real ninja seemed to irk Garmadon even more "Rematch!" he shouted, not at all being one who liked to lose. He immediately set the game to start back up before either could argue against it.

But both Kai and Skylor were exhausted. They'd played several rounds already when Garmadon had come bursting in, and playing against him took a lot more energy than against each other. Before long, Garmadon was taking victory selfies over their exhausted forms.

At the sound of a camera shutter, and knowing how much of a social media addict the man was, Kai quickly said, "If you post that, be sure to say you're helping us on a Secret Ninja Mission! You know, to keep our cover."

"That won't save you from my brother. Wu won't buy it," said Garmadon, thinking he was trying to hide what they were doing from the ninja master.

"He won't, but the school might," said Kai, hoping he'd agree. "Sure would be funny to get one over on them, don't you think?"

He shot Skylor a look for her to play along, and she quickly said, "Oh yeah, hilarious."

Garmadon shrugged and added some text to the picture before he posted it.

Kai was quick to fish out his own phone and look at the post. It showed Garmadon grinning with him and Skylor clutching their laser guns and leaning against each other looking exhausted in the background while still surrounded by the holodeck's simulation of a sci-fi worthy spaceship, complete with a window showing the void of space and the planet of Ninjago floating in the middle of it.

The picture was captioned, '_On epic ninja mission! Red ninja nerd and his gf cant keep up! #garmadonrulz #ninjanerdsdrool #IminSPACE!'_

Already the picture was getting thousands of views by the second, and people were speculating what kind of mission they could be on that would take them into _space._ He was both dreading and looking forward to the crazy fan theories this would stir up.

Garmadon then frowned as his phone got a new message. "Dang it, the police are freaking out thinking I skipped house arrest. Guess I gotta go sort this out," he said as he turned away with a distracted wave. "Later, nerds."

As the former warlord exited the room, the hologram shut off, leaving the two teens in the massive empty room once again.

Kai slowly got to his feet and put his and Skylor's laser guns away. "Let's get out of here before he decides he wants another rematch," he said.

"Agreed," said Skylor, trying to get to her feet, but she stumbled.

Kai caught her left arm to stop her from falling over, but she hissed in pain at his grip.

Kai let go immediately, his expression concerned. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Skylor glanced at her arm and forced herself not to wince when she realized what had happened. Kai had accidentally grabbed her on the bruise her father had given her last time she'd been home.

"It's nothing," she said quickly. "Just bumped into the side of a door a few days ago, and it's still bruised."

Kai still looked worried, but at Skylor's insistence she was fine, he dropped it.

After snagging a late lunch in the cafeteria, Skylor found herself being led down several flights of stairs to see whatever Kai had planned next.

She was not expecting to be stared down by the giant demon cat of Ninjago.

Skylor stood frozen like a deer in the headlights as the massive green eyes blinked back down at her.

"Don't worry," Kai assured her, walking past her to stand next to a giant fluffy leg and begin petting the soft fur. "Meowthra won't hurt you."

"She smashed over half of Ninjago City," Skylor said weakly, not taking her eyes off the cat for fear it would pounce.

"That was mostly Garmadon's fault," said Kai. "He kept swinging the Ultimate Weapon around and she was attracted to the beacon. She's better trained now and knows not to smash or bite stuff."

"Including people?" asked Skylor just to be sure.

"Including people," Kai assured her. He then paused thoughtfully and added, "Well, except Garmadon, but that's because he annoys her. They don't really like each other."

"But she lives under his house," said Skylor, looking confused. "Why does he let her live so close even if he doesn't like her?"

Kai chuckled. "The things he does to please Lloyd," he said. He then gave Skylor an encouraging grin. "Come on, I know she'll like you."

With extreme caution, Skylor ever so slowly held her hand out to Meowthra like she would with a normal-sized cat. Meowthra bent down to sniff her hand, and a purr sounded from her chest. Hearing that, Skylor took the chance to pet the fur on the cat's cheek and marveled at how soft it was.

"See, told you she'd like you," said Kai.

Skylor opened her mouth to reply but had to snap it shut a moment later as Meowthra chose that instant to give her a lick that knocked her off her feet.

"Definitely likes you," said Kai with a wide grin as he went over to help her up. "Good, that makes things easier."

Skylor scrubbed her face with her arm to get off the cat drool and took Kai's extended hand to help her back up. "Makes what easier?" she asked.

Kai blinked like the answer should be obvious, and gestured for her to look around.

Skylor did so and gasped in amazement.

When they'd gotten down there her attention had been focused solely on the giant cat that could potentially eat her. She hadn't even noticed the scenery outside the glass walls of the tunnel, giving her a perfect view of the reef around the volcano and all the colorful fish swimming around it.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, moving closer to one of the walls to get a better look outside. Something then seemed to occur to her, and she turned back to look at Kai, "Wait, are you okay here?" she asked. "On the boat to get over here you were kinda…" she trailed off, but her message was clear.

Kai, who hadn't moved from next to Meowthra let out a nervous laugh and looked anywhere but out the glass walls. "I'm fine as long as I don't think about it," he said. Even as he said that he turned his attention back to Meowthra with his back resolutely to the glass.

Skylor giggled, and when she had her fill of looking around (or at least as much as she could as quickly as could), she wandered back over to Kai whose entire focus was on petting Meowthra and not where they were. "What next?" she asked.

Looking more than happy to be leaving, Kai let out a whistle, which Meowthra apparently knew meant to crouch down. "Ever wanted to ride a giant cat?" he asked.

Skylor looked at Meowthra… then she slowly turned to look at Kai…

And she grinned.

* * *

"WHOOO _HOOO!"_ Skylor cheered from behind Kai as they both sat just behind Meowthra's head as she ran through the tunnel, coral and sea life rushing past through the glass as they sped by.

Then, the tunnel began sloping upwards, and the ocean vanished into a section of sand with lights on the floor below illuminating their way. The sand outside the tunnel turned to dirt and tree roots until finally there was an opening up ahead and they came bursting out of the tunnel and past a set of buildings into the surrounding forest.

Skylor blinked as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight and stared around as the cat carried them through the jungle, giving her a view of it she'd never seen before.

Eventually, the trees thinned out, and they were running along the streets of the city, people waving as they rode past, and shouting greetings at Kai and thanking them both for apparently saving them from aliens.

Skylor couldn't hold in a laugh at that misunderstanding.

Still, galloping around on a giant cat was _fun_. Skylor was almost sad it ended when Meowthra set them down in front of a karaoke bar called Laughy's.

"I didn't take you for a karaoke fan," said Skylor as Kai led her in.

"I'm not normally, but this is a special occasion," Kai said. "You?"

Skylor shrugged. "In front of people? No. In my apartment where no one can see me? Eh, maybe," she said in a tone that made it clear she had _totally_ danced around her apartment singing at the top of her lungs multiple times.

"Well, Lloyd made friends with the owner a few weeks back," explained Kai. "The owner, Dareth, he's an okay guy. Kind of annoying, and convinced he's the next Elvis waiting to be discovered, but he's nice and will probably let us hang out if we tell him it's your birthday."

"Using me for special treatment, huh?" asked Skylor, looking amused.

"Heck no, if anything he'll be happy for a ready-made excuse," said Kai. "He's a huge fan of ours and is _always_ finding excuses to give us special treatment. Last time I was here, he gave me a free milkshake because it was a 'Tuesday.' Not because it was any particular _kind_ of holiday, just _Tuesday_."

Skylor snickered.

Her amusement died as they stepped inside to find the entire place completely dark.

That wasn't a good sign.

Her years of training kicked in, and she tensed, ready for someone to try and jump out to grab her. She chanced a glance at Kai, but he looked completely at ease in the light of the still-open door behind them. Either this was normal for Laughy's (very unlikely), or he was in on whatever was happening.

Had they… had they discovered her already?

Skylor mentally prepared herself to fight her way out if need be, but before she could try and bolt back out the door, the lights suddenly burst on, and she had to squeeze her eyes shut for a moment to save herself from being blinded.

When she reopened them, her jaw dropped in shock.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SKYLOR!"

The entire room of the karaoke bar was covered in streamers, tinsel, and balloons. A pile of hastily wrapped gifts sat on a table in a corner, and standing before her grinning like loons was Penny, the rest of the Ninja Force, and a brown-haired man she didn't know, but assumed was the owner of the place.

"What-" Skylor gasped. Shouldn't they still be in school?

"School ended roughly two hours ago," answered Penny.

Oh, apparently she'd said that out loud. Still, how did they get this all done in only two hours?

"Kai texted us to say what was up after you two ran out, we called Dareth at lunch to get this started, and all came over after school to finish setting up," explained Nya (uh-oh, she said it aloud again).

Zane stepped forward, holding a birthday cake with unlit candles. "Kai, would you mind."

"You got it," said Kai, stepping forward to use his powers to set the candles ablaze.

Skylor could only stare at the flickering lights sitting atop a cake that had her name written on it in caramel frosting. She was still in shock even as she was numbly led to stand in front of it, and everyone began singing the birthday song.

The song abruptly trailed off without warning, and everyone began looking at her in concern.

"Are you okay?" asked Nya, her brow pinched with worry.

"What's wrong?" asked Penny.

Wrong?

It was only then that Skylor realized tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Did we do something wrong?" asked Jay nervously. "Are you allergic to something in the cake? Oh man, we should have asked!"

"No," Skylor croaked out, barely managing to find her voice. "It's just no one's- no one's done something like this for me before. _Ever."_

The Ninja Force exchanged a glance, and Zane moved to put the cake down on a table.

Leading Skylor over to sit down in front of it, Kai said, "Let's change that, okay?"

Skylor managed to give him a shaky smile. "Okay," she said.

With a cue from Kai, they began singing the birthday song once again, and this time Skylor was able to focus on the candles.

As it was, she had one wish in mind, though she knew it wouldn't come true and her father would be furious if he ever found out about it.

Skylor closed her eyes and blew out the candles, her wish etched into her mind.

_I don't want to fight them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Skylor. She's definitely even more conflicted now. At least she got a good birthday, and it's not over yet. There was a bit of Kai struggling with his block to his True Potential in this. He was doubting himself about how he could help Skylor celebrate her birthday, and was convinced his friends would have better ideas than him, showing his hesitation to take charge for himself. He's still not over it, since he still thinks his friends could have done a better job, not seeing that his ideas were great as well. He'll learn to trust his instincts soon enough.
> 
> A big thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading and contributing ideas for this chapter. She was a big help, and suggested some of the holographic projections that they used in the holodeck. Thanks a lot.
> 
> Next Time: Skylor's birthday party continues, and the more the Ninja Force talks to her, the more they begin to suspect all is not right with her home life.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skylor's birthday party continues, and the more the Ninja Force talks to her, the more they begin to suspect all is not right with her home life.

_Movie Ninjago_

Due to the Ninja Force's lack of popularity until recently, they weren't exactly familiar with big parties, but they were old pros at small get-togethers with friends.

As it was, they all knew exactly what buttons to push to get Jay up to sing karaoke without pressuring him, and he was currently nervously singing an off-key rendition of _Eye of the Tiger_ to their approving catcalls.

As they watched, Skylor helped herself to the cake and enjoyed the flavor on her tongue. "How'd you know I like caramel?" she wondered aloud to Penny and Lloyd who were sitting nearby. "Some ninja spy thing?"

"Actually, it was Penny who suggested this cake," said Lloyd.

Skylor paused with the fork still in her mouth and turned to look at Penny in surprise.

Penny gave a shrug. "We have eaten lunch together multiple times now, and I have noticed that you usually choose desserts with that flavor. It seemed like a safe bet to get a cake that flavor."

Lloyd nodded. "Too bad we didn't have more advanced knowledge of this. Zane could have made the cake from scratch. His, uh, cousin has recently been teaching him cooking and he's really taken to baking, and Zane's been teaching him how to play guitar."

Both girls looked over at where Zane was enthusiastically cheering Jay on. "I didn't realize Zane had a cousin," said Penny curiously.

"Yeah, I thought he was…" Skylor started to say but seemed to realize how her next comment could be rude and shoved another bite of cake into her mouth instead.

Lloyd caught on to what they weren't saying, and said, "Well, they're not _really_ cousins," he admitted. "But sometimes, well, people just have a way of claiming you as family whether it's blood or not. It's a family of choice kind of thing."

"Such as yourself and your new little brother?" asked Penny.

Lloyd smiled at the thought of Lil'Loyd. "Yeah, like him, or like my cousin, Morro. Uncle Wu adopted him when I was eight. We're not related, but they're family, ya know."

Neither girl looked like they fully understood, but nodded anyway.

"Must be nice to have a family that chooses to love you," Skylor remarked offhandedly, not seeming to realize the implications of that statement.

But Lloyd and Penny heard it and exchanged a glance when she wasn't looking.

On stage, Jay's song finished, and he hastily left the mic to the applause of his friends. He then sat next to the DJ station where Cole was setting up the music.

In his place, Zane stepped on the stage with a wide grin on his face. "This is so not sad," he said brightly, shooting finger guns at Cole. "Alexa, play Despacito."

The other ninja in the room all groaned and Cole rolled his eyes as he put on the correct song and the music began playing from the speakers. Zane grinned oblivious to this and began singing like a Vocaloid singer, complete with dance moves.

"I'm surprised he didn't Rick Roll us," They all heard Kai mutter from where he was hiding behind a table and wrapping a gift he'd had Nya pick up for him while he was with Skylor.

"Give him time," replied his sister in a deadpan.

Skylor took another bite of cake, before turning to Lloyd and saying, "Speaking of family, level with me. Is that little brother of yours really a clone, or is that just the internet being insane?"

Lloyd snorted. "Lil-uh-Montgomery is no more my clone than you are an alien-fighting space princess," he said, holding up his phone showing one of the crazy theories on it that Garmdon's picture had sparked. "He's a kid who got mixed up in our ninja business, and his dad was both unreachable and not in a good place at the time. My mom had pretty much adopted him by the time we found his father and got him cleaned up, but he still spends a lot of time with us and calls her mom. So, I got a little brother out of that misadventure and some more extended family, so I can't say I'm complaining."

"So the resemblance is a coincidence?" asked Penny.

Lloyd looked like he wasn't sure how to answer. "Uh, something like that," he said. "How about you two?" he asked quickly trying to turn the conversation around. "What are your families like."

Skylor got a startled look on her face and chose that moment to take a large bite of cake to avoid answering.

Penny, meanwhile, smiled fondly. "I'm afraid it is just my father and myself."

"Oh, what's he like?" asked Lloyd.

"He's a… mechanic," said Penny vaguely. "He feels most at home with machines, and is very caring of me." She looked down at her hands, and added softly, "He's… given up a lot to keep me safe and happy."

Lloyd looked at her in concern. "If he's having trouble with work, my dad's always hiring new machine guys. If I asked him to, he won't mess with your dad if he works for him."

Penny actually looked very amused at that offer and shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, but that is unnecessary. We are fine now."

"Okay, but the offer's open any time," said Lloyd.

"Thank you," said Penny graciously.

The two blondes turned to look at Skylor, and she swallowed the lump in her throat along with the cake.

"Uh, same as Penny," she said. "Just me and my father. He's a businessman with a lot of investments. Noodle restaurants and things like that. It keeps him busy, so I don't see him much." She was successful in keeping the relief about that last fact out of her voice.

"It's too bad he's missing your birthday," said Lloyd.

Skylor just shrugged and looked away. "I don't want to talk about it," she said. "Too depressing."

"Fair enough," said Lloyd.

There was an awkward pause.

"So," said Skylor, leaning over to look at Lloyd, and playfully poked him in the side with her finger. "Your dad, how often does he skip his house arrest? Because he kinda implied it happens a _lot."_

"He what?" asked Penny in alarm.

Lloyd just groaned, causing the redhead to laugh.

From behind the table, where he was still struggling with the wrapping paper (and getting himself covered in tape in the process), Kai glanced up at the sound of Skylor's laugh.

He saw her leaning close to Lloyd and giggling madly at whatever he was saying.

The sight caused a weird pinch in his gut that he did not at all like. Had Skylor laughed like that when she was with him? Was that a unique reaction only Lloyd brought out? Or was Lloyd's magnetic personality just taking effect?

Kai found himself going over all his previous interactions with Skylor and comparing them to what he was seeing now and trying to determine if any differences were a good thing or a bad thing.

Seeing him completely stop in his wrapping, Nya followed his gaze and saw Skylor chatting with Lloyd and Penny, oblivious to his scrutiny.

"You don't think, uh, Skylor has a thing for Lloyd, do you?" Kai asked without seeming to realize he was speaking out loud.

Nya gave him a flat look. "Really," she said dryly.

Kai didn't even look at her, his gaze still fixed on his crush and his best friend.

This wouldn't do.

Annoyed, Nya grabbed the roll of extra wrapping paper and bopped her brother on the head with it, gaining his attention.

"Hey, watch the hair," Kai protested, reaching up to rub the spot she'd hit him.

"Do you realize how dumb you sound?" asked Nya dryly. "Skylor does _not_ like Lloyd. She doesn't even know him. Pretty sure this is the first time they've ever even had a conversation together."

"Really?" asked Kai hopefully.

"Really," said Nya in a tone that left no room for arguments.

Kai returned to working on wrapping his gift at that. Then he paused again and glanced at his sister.

Thinking he needed more reassurance, Nya said, "Seriously. The only times she's ever even mentioned him before was to ask if he knew if Garmadon or Wu knew anything about our projects since they're so freaking _old_."

"It's not that," said Kai, looking at her with more serious expression than he had when he'd worried about Skylor's love life. "Have you, uh, noticed any injuries on Skylor?" he asked.

Nya raised an eyebrow. "Injuries?" she asked.

Kai glanced back over at Skylor, before replying. "I caught her arm earlier when she nearly fell, and she winced. When I asked, she said she'd bruised on a door the other day, but… it was a weird place to get knocked against a door."

Nya frowned, and thought back to her previous meetings. "Was it her left arm?" she asked. "I noticed her favoring it during the food fight on Monday. She's been wearing a jacket since then, too."

Kai also frowned, his concern growing. "Yeah, it was," he said. "It had to be a heck of a door to still be tender after this long."

The twins shared a glance and an unspoken thought. '_If it even __**was**_ _a door.'_

"Zane?" asked Nya.

"Zane," Kai agreed.

Nya snatched the present from Kai to finish wrapping it quickly so the two of them could put it on the present table and go over to Zane as he finished his song.

When it ended, Cole shot Lloyd a smirk and started playing a particular song he'd written.

Hearing the music start, Lloyd shot Cole a glare but got up to sing _Found My Place_ with Cole providing the backup vocals that Kai usually handled, leaving Skylor and Penny to chat on their lonesome.

The twins did their best to act casual as they walked over to Zane.

The Nindroid looked up at them with a grin when they approached him. "Is this party off the chain or what?" he asked.

Kai let out a sigh when he heard that. "Zane, you say that about every party. I've given up on asking you to never say 'off the chain' ever again."

Zane blinked his optics at him. "Why?"

"It just… doesn't sound right?" said Kai. "You're too nice to make it work."

"I will take that as a compliment," said Zane brightly.

Nya, however, kept her focus on why they'd come. "You have that health scanner thing, right?" she asked.

Zane's smile widened, and he waved his hand in a circular motion. "Hello, I am Baymax. Your personal healthcare companion," he quoted in a very convincing imitation of the character.

Nya snickered at his impression. "I'll take that as a 'yes,'" she said. "Could you do us a favor and scan Skylor real quick?"

Zane's smile quickly vanished. "Why?" he asked. "Would that not be an invasion of privacy?"

The twins exchanged a look.

"Maybe," said Kai. "You don't have to share what you find, but we're a little worried." He then explained what happened that afternoon, and Nya added her own observations.

Zane frowned thoughtfully. "Reviewing my memory of this week, I can conclude also observing such previously unnoticed behavior. Most concerning," he said.

"We just want to make sure she's okay," said Kai. "If it's still hurting after so many days, then it might be worse than she thinks."

Zane mulled it over for a moment, before turning to look over where Skylor and Penny were sitting. "Scanning for injuries," he said, his eyes flashing white as they shown over Skylor. Neither girl noticed as the light reflecting off the tinsel decorations and the karaoke bar's disco ball gave off similar shines.

His eyes still white with the medical scan, Zane said, "She does have a bruise on her arm, but it is recovering well." He then frowned. "What did you say she said caused it?"

"A door," said Kai.

Zane's frown deepened. "Odd. I was not aware that doors could cause bruises shaped like a handprint, or that they could wrap around the entire upper arm."

Kai and Nya exchanged worried glances.

Their concern only grew when Zane added, "The only other thing of note I see is that her skeletal structure shows signs of multiple previous breaks, likely from different points in her life. That may cause some discomfort for her when she is older."

Not hearing any response, Zane shut off the scan and turned to look at their alarmed faces.

The twins seemed to be in the middle of a silent conversation, with Kai's expression being urgent, but Nya's being more cautious.

"We gotta do something!" Kai finally said in a low hiss to his sister.

"We don't have enough information," Nya hissed back. "We don't know who's responsible."

"But-!" Kai tried to say.

"She said she's now living alone in an apartment for school, so she'll be safe and we can investigate," Nya said. "If we jump in too quickly we may make things worse."

Kai looked like he wanted desperately to protest, but backed down at his sister's words.

"Investigate what?" asked Zane, slightly confused.

Nya shot Kai a look, before replying, "We'll tell you later."

Kai seemed to be grinding his teeth angrily but didn't disagree.

Zane glanced between the two of them. Whatever they were thinking seemed to be upsetting them, but if it was important he knew, they would tell him… right?

Seeing his unsure expression, Nya said, "Don't worry, we'll tell you after the party and maybe a little more digging." She then turned to Kai. "Follow my lead?" she asked.

"Always do," said Kai, even if he was reluctant to do so in this case. Whether it was Nya or Lloyd or both of them, he'd follow them to the gates of heck if he had to.

It was then Skylor's phone rang, breaking off her conversation with Penny and taking one look at the caller id had her expression souring.

"Sorry," she said as she stepped towards the bathrooms. "I have to take this."

Penny nodded and looked ready to sit patiently until she came back.

Seeing this, Kai nudged Zane in the side. "You should go talk to her," he said, nodding at Penny. "Get her a drink and keep her company."

Zane perked up at the idea and hurried over to where Dareth was manning the bar and ordered drinks for them both, before heading over to give Penny a strawberry milkshake. It seemed she hadn't been the only one paying attention to favored flavors. From the smile he gained from giving her the drink, it was appreciated.

The song finished, and Lloyd walked off the stage. Cole mentioned he needed a break as well, and they and Jay headed over to the bar to get their own drinks. Singing was thirsty work.

Dareth had just come out with smoothies as he crashed into Jay and splashed the smoothie he'd been carrying onto Jay's orange scarf.

"Oh man," Dareth said as he hastily grabbed some napkins to clean up the mess. "I'm so sorry, Jay!"

Jay grabbed some napkins too and tried to mop up his beloved scarf. "It's fine," he said. "It's only my favorite scarf in the whole wide world. I'm sure fruit smoothie smell will add to it."

Dareth looked guilty, and Jay winced. "I put my foot in my mouth again, didn't I?" he said rhetorically.

Cole rolled his eyes as Dareth worked to clean up the mess and Lloyd helped. "Come on, Wise Guy," he said, herding Jay towards the bathroom. "Let's clean that up."

Jay hurried after him as Dareth called after them, "I'll get you more smoothies on the house to make up for it."

They pushed the door to the bathroom open and froze awkwardly when they saw Skylor already in there. The bar was so small it only had one unisex bathroom, and apparently, the redhead had forgotten to lock the door. Fortunately, she was just talking on her phone and didn't see them nearly barge, her gaze focused on the floor.

Hoping to avoid any awkwardness of barging in on a girl in the bathroom, Cole silently pulled the door back closed, and the two stood to wait for her to leave.

"I sorry I missed my check-in," said Skylor's voice sounded through the door.

Hearing that, Jay and Cole started to move to avoid listening in, but then paused and exchanged a glance. There was something wrong with the way Skylor was talking. Her voice came wafting through the door fairly clearly and sounded hollow. Blank. There was absolutely no emotion in her words, but they couldn't help but feel there was an underlying sense of fear despite that. They'd had no intention to eavesdrop, but her tone was so unnerving, they couldn't help but listen.

"I wasn't aware of the time. The Ninja Force threw me a surprise party," Skylor said, still in that blank tone.

She fell silent for a long moment, no doubt listening to whoever had called her.

Then she spoke again with a, "Yes… Yes, I am… I have three, but I'll get the rest by tonight," There was another long pause before Skylor finally said a still emotionless and yet somehow resigned, "Yes, Father. I understand."

Jay and Cole exchanged another glance.

A moment later, the door opened, and they both quickly schooled their expressions to something that hopefully didn't convey they'd just been listening in. Cole pulled off bored disinterest convincingly, but Jay still looked unhappy though he hoped he could pass it off for being upset for his scarf.

Skylor jumped when she saw them waiting there. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to hold up the line," she said.

"'S fine," said Cole, waving a hand in Jay's direction. "He's just here to wash his smoothie scarf, and I'm here to make sure he doesn't fall in."

Jay flushed at that and elbowed Cole in the side, then brushed past Skylor to go into the bathroom. He accidentally tripped over her foot in the process, only proving Cole's point.

Skylor reached out to catch and steady him. Once he was on his feet, he gave a quick, "Thanks," and went to run his now sticky scarf under the tap to rinse away most of the smoothie.

Skylor didn't seem to even suspect they heard her conversation, and walked past Cole, patting him on the shoulder as she did. "Good luck with that," she said as she moved away.

"Hey!" squawked Jay behind her.

"I'll do my best," Cole called jokingly after, earning another indignant sputter from Jay.

They waited a long moment to make sure she was out of earshot before speaking again.

"That was _really_ creepy," said Jay as he used the hand soap by the sink to scrub the scarf, getting the wool sudsy. "You thought it was creepy too, right?"

"Yeah," said Cole shortly, still eyeing the direction Skylor had gone to make sure she wasn't doubling back.

"Who talks to their father like that?" Jay continued to babble as he scrubbed. "I mean, you think she'd be happy we're throwing this party for her and excited to talk about it. But she was just so… empty. If _I_ said _anything_ to my dad in that tone of voice, he'd take me to the hospital in a heartbeat because something had to be wrong. Heck, Cliff would too if he heard it. To say nothing about how Mom or Libber would react."

Cole was silent for a long moment, his mind deep in thought. "She was scared," he said finally.

Jay paused and looked over to him. "I kinda got that too. Not that it was easy to tell with the total lack of emotion. But who's she scared of? Her father, you think?"

"That's apparently who she was talking to," said Cole.

"Right," said Jay, neither of them liking the implications of that.

They spent the rest of the time it took for Jay to clean his scarf in silence.

Finally, when Jay rinsed away the last of the soap and rung the now clean scarf out, he wondered aloud, "Still, I wonder what three she's working on?"

Cole glanced at him, his expression making it clear he had no idea what he was talking about.

"She said she had three of something," Jay said snapping the scarf to shake out the water and wrinkles before hanging over on his arm. "And that she was going to 'get the rest tonight'. I wonder what she's getting for him."

Cole gave a shrug. He had no clue what she meant either.

They walked back into the karaoke bar just in time to see Skylor laugh at something Zane said, and slapped him heartily on the back, apparently having gotten over whatever had upset her in the bathroom. This only seemed to encourage him, and the Nindroid promptly went on the stage to sing _Never Gonna Give You Up_.

The rest of the team rolled their eyes. It had only been a matter of time.

"She's not averted to touch, that's a good sign," they overheard Kai mutter from where he was standing with Nya not too far away, and she nodded in agreement, the both of them having been observing the redhead as well.

Looks like the two of them also suspected something was up.

Resolving to discuss it later, Jay and Cole moved to rejoin the party. If there was really something fishy going on, they'd figure it out together as a team.

But tonight was for Skylor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, they're on the right track. They know something's up with Skylor, and it's not good, but they're still unaware how deep this rabbit hole goes. Skylor, meanwhile, is very smooth in her copying the other's powers. She already had Kai and Nya's before the party, can you pinpoint when she absorbed the others during it?
> 
> A big thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading this fic. It was her idea for Zane to have a health scan (the Baymax reference was too good to pass up), and some of the ways they noticed Skylor's suspicious actions came from her. Also, Kai's brief bit of jealousy towards Lloyd and Nya knocking some sense into him came from her too.
> 
> Next Time: Skylor comes to discover what crazy theories the limelight can cause, the Ninja Force compares notes, and Penny takes the initiative to better bond with Zane.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skylor comes to discover what crazy theories the limelight can cause, the Ninja Force compares notes, and Penny takes the initiative to better bond with Zane.

_Movie Ninjago_

Skylor had just thought everyone's assumptions about her being an alien princess was a joke that would blow over by the next day.

But that morning at school she was quick to find out that was not the case.

Everywhere she went in the halls, people pointed, stared, and whispered. The clicking of a camera shutter was an almost constant background noise from whatever direction she wasn't directly looking in. She'd already lost count of how many people came up to her asking what planet she was from and heard even more speculating it behind her back.

It wasn't bothering her much so far. A slight annoyance, but not much more. Honestly, if it weren't for her mission, she'd think the whole thing was hilarious, but as it was she couldn't help but worry that the extra attention would blow her cover wide open.

And if that happened, she didn't even want to imagine what her father's reaction might be.

As such, meeting up with Penny at her locker was a breath of fresh air. With how insane everyone else was acting, her cool-headedness was a welcome change.

"Should you not simply tell them the picture was not real?" Penny asked as people passing speculated if she was an alien too, but dismissed it since she had been around long before Skylor arrived (they would have noticed if she wasn't human by now, no way she could hide that long).

Skylor shrugged. "We could, but that'd mean admitting we ditched school, and I don't want Kai getting in trouble for doing something nice for me. Not to mention that at this point, I'm pretty sure even if we did tell the truth no one would believe it."

Penny glanced over at a group of boys that were arguing whether or not Skylor's cheeks were actually covered in freckles or if they were scales where she couldn't hide her true reptilian nature.

"Perhaps you are correct," Penny said. She then looked Skylor over. "Will you be alright?"

Skylor huffed a sigh. "Not much I can do about it now. I just wish people weren't staring so much."

Penny nodded in agreement. "Because it is creepy," she said.

It took a moment to remember their conversation that sparked the food fight, and Skylor had to snicker at Penny's words. "Yup, really creepy."

"Still, that is kind of you," said Penny, getting her a confused look from Skylor.

"What?" she asked.

"Telling the truth may still dissuade some of them, but you're willing to endure the staring to keep Kai from getting into trouble," said Penny. "That is very kind of you."

Skylor felt her cheeks heat up, and she looked away. "He did something really great for me yesterday, he shouldn't be punished for that," she said. "And, you know, not getting detention myself is nice."

Penny only smiled knowingly.

At that moment, a passing group of girls caught sight of Skylor. They froze at the sight of her for a moment before half of them burst into tears, and the other half hurried their crying friends along, shooting dirty looks at Skylor as they did so.

Skylor gave them a bewildered look as they left. "What was that about?" she had to ask.

Penny's smile grew slightly. "In his original post, Garmadon referred to you as Kai's 'gf' which, if I'm not mistaken, means 'girlfriend'. Several of his admirers have become very distressed at the news."

Skylor's head whipped around to stare at Penny, and her face reddened even further. "Oh," was all she was able to say dumbly.

Just when she thought that morning couldn't get any crazier, Zane suddenly came barreling down the hallway, with a shout of, "SKYLOR!"

Skylor barely had time to process his sudden appearance before he had her in a hug so tight she could swear her ribs would never recover. Kai was definitely the better hugger of the two Ninja.

"Zane, what is wrong?" asked Penny, her expression concerned.

Skylor managed to ignore how she was currently unable to breathe to look at the Ice Ninja's face and saw an utterly heartbroken expression on it as he cried ice cubes instead of tears. As it was, he didn't answer Penny's question, instead, grabbing her and dragging her into the hug too, which was now twice as tight.

Salvation came in the form of Cole coming over with the rest of the Ninja not far behind. "Zane, we talked about this," he said. "People need to breathe when you hug them."

Zane still looked utterly miserable, but he released Penny and Skylor from his grasp. Still, he put a hand on both of their shoulders. "I am here for you. If you ever need anything please let me know," he said to both of them, though they seemed more directed at Skylor than Penny.

Skylor and Penny could only give him bewildered looks in response. Skylor then leaned around him to address the other Ninja. "Is he okay?" she asked, concerned he'd blown a gasket or something.

The Ninja Force exchanged a quick but guilty-looking glance before Kai said, "He's fine… mostly. We, uh, we had a sleepover after our patrol after the party, and er, watched a movie that upset him."

"What movie was it?" asked Penny, looking concerned.

"Old Yeller," Jay blurted out quickly, earning some looks from the others.

Skylor was skeptical of this until Zane's crying increased in earnest. "Why does the dog always _die?_ Why?" he wailed despite his voice still sounding as automated as ever. Ice cubes flying everywhere.

"Oh," said Penny, looking at him sympathetically.

Lloyd's eyes actually looked moist as well as he came over to pat Zane's shoulder. "I know, Zane," he said. "I don't get it either. It's not fair."

Zane gave a sob, and Lloyd was now the one caught in a back-breaking hug.

"He needs to _breathe_, Zane," Nya said in exasperation.

Zane only marginally loosened his grip and was clingy all the way to class.

* * *

At lunch, Nya sat with Penny and Skylor while the rest tried to convince Zane to be more subtle.

"Seriously, Zane," said Lloyd. "We agreed to keep things quiet until we gather more evidence."

"But it's so sad," Zane burst out, thankfully quietly enough to not be overheard by anyone outside the table. "Her father could be... Why would something like that happen?"

"Sometimes evil isn't as obvious as Garmadon likes to be," Cole replied.

Jay nodded. "Yeah, sometimes it's, like, really sneaky, like that Snake Mech out in the desert. You think it's one thing, but it's really something _way_ worse but no one realizes it until you get close."

Zane's expression fell. "I hope not. The Snake Mech has been so sneaky we haven't even seen it after that night."

"At least no one else has gone missing since then," said Lloyd, who's audience with King Skales was fast approaching.

Kai, meanwhile, was not happy they were getting off track. "We still need to do something," he said, having wanted to sweep Skylor off her feet and carry her on Meowthra someplace _far_ away the second he and Nya heard Zane's health scan.

"And we _will_," Lloyd assured him.

"We don't know for sure what's happening. We might be wrong, and even if we're right, if we rush into things without all the facts we could make it even worse," added Jay.

Kai let out a groan but conceded their point.

"Skylor has her own place and is safe right now," Lloyd said patting him on the shoulder. "We have time to figure this out, and how to help her. We _will_ help her, Kai. I promise."

Kai looked impatient but nodded. "But if I see _anything-"_ he said.

"Then you do what you have to," Lloyd said, making Kai relax marginally.

"You must really like her," Zane remarked, rubbing ice cubes from his eyes and making them all look at him in surprise.

"I'd think that was obvious by now," said Cole, slightly amused.

Zane shook his head, seeing they hadn't gotten what he meant. "I simply mean that Kai's actions have been more decisive as of late."

That caused the others to blink.

"Huh," said Cole, looking at his friend in surprise. "He's right. Normally you'd never pull a stunt like yesterday. Not without talking to one of us first at least."

"Nya kept expecting you to message her for ideas on what to do," added Jay. "I think she was disappointed you didn't."

Kai looked startled. "I just… she looked sad. I couldn't…" he tried to explain.

"Don't worry about it," said Lloyd. "It's a good thing, I think. You're following your instincts."

Kai looked away, his face red.

Lloyd snickered at his expense, before looking at the others. "So we're all agreed. We'll get more evidence before we do anything."

They all nodded, though Kai still looked reluctant to do so.

* * *

When school ended, Penny had some time before meeting with the others in her group again and was considering how to go about using it.

She had already completed most of her homework in study hall, and what little was left would not take all that much time. She could go to the library in the meantime, but they had already checked out all the books they would need. She could go home, but there seemed little use in that if she was only going to leave again not long after.

None of her options held any draw to her, and she just wanted the time to hurry by. So what was there to do?

As she mulled over this, she paused as something occurred to her.

In all her time as a student, heck, in all her time being active, she had never once been bothered by one of those options before. She'd been in previous group projects, but none had actually made her look forward to working on them before. What could be different?

The answer, of course, was obvious.

The company.

She was rapidly beginning to see why her father had been so eager for her to make friends. Friends were… _nice!_ She found herself looking forward to spending time with them, not just for schoolwork, but outside it as well. And it wasn't just her partners, the rest of the Ninja Force had proven to all be lovely people as well. Skylor's party the day before had been the first time she'd ever been to a party, and with the way they'd asked for her own birthday (or rather, activation-day, not that they knew that), she believed it was almost a guarantee they would treat her with similar when that day next came.

No one had ever drawn her in like this, but she didn't regret a moment of it.

She had _friends_, and she liked having them.

As she came to that realization, a flash of white caught her eye, and she turned to look and see Zane walking past, still looking glum from that morning.

Perhaps… she did not need to plan ahead to spend time with those friends, especially if she could possibly cheer them up instead.

Hurrying over to the Ice Ninja, Penny called out, "Zane!"

Zane stopped and turned her in surprise. "Hello, Penny. How may I help you?"

Suddenly feeling unsure, Penny hesitated to voice her idea. "I was wondering if you had the next few hours free," she asked slowly. "If so, perhaps we could do something together."

The change was instantaneous, and Zane's expression lit up like a Christmas tree. "I would love to," he said eagerly.

Penny felt her own face split into a bright smile. "Great!" she said.

There was a pause between the two of them, waiting for the other to speak.

Finally, Zane asked, "So what are we doing?"

Penny opened her mouth to answer, paused to think, and then said, "I… do not know."

Well, that presented a problem…

* * *

Apparently, for lack of anything better to do, Zane took her to spend the time at his house.

Penny wasn't sure why she was surprised to see that Zane lived in a seemingly normal looking house. From what she'd heard of the man, his father was similar to her own, and their home looked fairly average as well.

Then again, that couldn't guarantee the inside was as average as the outside. If there was anything she knew for certain, it was that sometimes the best place to hide was in plain sight.

The two of them were just approaching the door when it burst open and what looked like a brown cannonball shot out of it.

Penny jumped in surprise as the cannonball collided with Zane and knocked him flat on the sidewalk.

Zane, for his part, didn't seem at all bothered, and hugged the cannonball to his chest and said, "I'm home."

The cannonball lifted it's head, allowing Penny to see that it was actually a little boy dressed in brown who looked remarkably like a younger Zane with brown hair and golden eyes. "Big Brother! Are you okay? People on Chirper said you were crying today!"

Zane's eyes widened a bit. "Oh, yes, I was," he said.

"Why?" asked the boy, his face awash with concern.

Zane looked hesitant to reply, before saying, "I saw a movie before school. It was very sad."

The boy blinked curiously. "What was it about?"

"A dog," Zane replied.

The boy gasped. "Oh no! Did the dog _die?"_

Zane's expression turned glum, and he nodded.

Now the little boy looked like he was going to cry too.

Hoping to avoid that, Penny stepped forward and said, "Hello, I do not think it would be wise to sit on the sidewalk for much longer. It is a public space, and people may need to walk by."

Both of the boys in front of her blinked up at her.

"Oh, you're right," said Zane as he quickly got back to his feet, and set the boy on the ground in front of him. He then waved his hand at the boy and said, "I'd like you to meet my little brother, Echo."

Echo continued to stare up at Penny in wonder. "You're pretty," he said brightly, all sadness forgotten. "Who are you? What's your name? Are you Big Brother's friend? Are you his girlfriend? I like your hair. Do you go to school with him? Are you going to be a ninja?" he asked too rapidly for Penny to get a word in edgewise.

"Echo-" Zane started to say in hopes of calming him down.

Taking the chance when Echo paused his questions, Penny replied, "Thank you. I am Penny Trixie Allons. Yes, Zane and I are friends, but I wouldn't say I'm his girlfriend. I like my hair too. I do go to school with him, but I am not a ninja."

Zane looked at her in surprise that she was able to answer all the questions, and Echo's grin widened. Turning to Zane, he said, "I like her. You should get married."

Zane's face turned fire-engine red. "ECHO!" he protested. "That is rude."

Echo stuck his tongue out at him. "What? You should," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm afraid we're too young to get married just yet," said Penny, who couldn't help but smile at their interactions. "We are still students in high school after all."

Zane turned to look at her with literal steam coming out of his ears he was so red.

"Ooooh," said Echo looking disappointed, but accepting the explanation. "But you'll marry him someday, right?"

Penny blinked at the question. "Oh, uh…"

"Zane, you're steaming! You're not overheating are you?" came a new voice from the house.

Penny looked up to see a middle-aged man with brown and gray-streaked hair step out the front door and look at Zane in concern.

Seeming very happy for the interruption, Zane quickly said, "Dad, this is Penny, she is my friend from school. Penny, this is my father, Prof. Julien."

Penny straightened up and offered a hand to greet him with. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Prof. Julien."

The genius inventor gave her a friendly smile and accepted her handshake. "The pleasure is all mind. Do come in, I'll put on some tea."

"That would be lovely, thank you," said Penny as she and the brothers followed him inside.

The inside of the house was more like Penny had been expecting. Like her own, there were various machine parts here and there, and various inventions made for domestic living scattered about. It seemed Prof. Julien and her father were birds of a feather when it came to having their passion mixed in with their home decorating. Well, that, or they just didn't consider the placement of their tools when cleaning up.

The tea the robotics doctor served was delicious, and the conversation was entertaining. Mostly because she barely had to say anything as Echo seemed determined to tell her his entire life's story in vivid detail in that one sitting, with Zane occasionally interjecting to either correct some misconceptions of his brother's or hide when Echo started to refer to something particularly robotic about the two of them.

It was charming, and something Penny felt she wouldn't mind doing more often. Quirky as they were, the Juliens were a wonderful family.

Eventually, Echo made a complaint about his mother grounding him for putting a baseball through a window at school, when Zane said, "Oh! We didn't introduce you to Mom!"

Penny honestly wasn't even aware that he had a mother, or that Prof. Julien was married.

Hearing that, Echo bounced out of his seat, and rushed out of the room. "I'll go get her."

Zane quickly got up and hurried after him. "Wait!" he called. "Let me help! You might drop her!"

"Would not!" Echo called back.

"Would too!" Zane argued.

"Would not!"

"Would too!"

"Would not!"

"Would too!"

"Drop her?" Penny wondered aloud as the arguing faded into the background.

Prof. Julien chuckled at the question. "You'll see soon enough," he promised.

Penny smiled and sipped at her tea as she prepared to wait.

"So how is Cyrus doing?" Prof. Julian asked casually.

Being an android, Penny did not choke on her tea or spit it out comically, but she did accidentally crush the teacup in her hands, spilling the tea all over the table.

"What?" she gasped, paying no mind to the liquid soaking her hands and the table. "He's- How- How could you possibly-?"

Prof. Julien looked like a mix of apologetic and amused at her reaction. "Don't worry, my dear, I've known since he went into hiding," he said. "I helped him hide in fact, as well as you."

Penny stared at him, searching her hard drive to try and figure out how he could have known or helped… then it came to her.

"The car!" she said as she pulled up the most likely memory. "You are the one who left us the car with the clothes and necessities in it! So that we could not be tracked as we fled!"

"I did," Prof. Julien confirmed with a nod. "I also helped Cyrus set up his and your fake identities, and he has been sending his new inventions for Borg Industries to me to deliver to the company. Sadly, however, our contact with each other has had to remain minimal so that no one would suspect I knew where he was."

Penny stared at the man before her with new eyes. "We may very well owe you our lives," she said in wonderment. "The odds of us escaping without your aid, with all other modes of transportation being watched…"

Prof. Julien winced, well aware of how close his friend and his daughter had come to being captured or worse. "I know, but Cyrus is an old friend. If he was in trouble, I simply had to do something," he said as he gathered some paper towels to mop up the mess.

Penny processed that as she absentmindedly helped him clean the tea and cup shards. "Here to protect those who cannot protect themselves," she mused softly. "Zane said that when we met. He gets that from you, doesn't he?"

Prof. Julien chuckled. "Indeed he does. Echo too. It's been a family motto for generations, and I am happy to pass it down to them."

"Is it why you built them?" asked Penny, curiously. "To protect others?"

"Initially, yes," admitted Prof. Julien as he threw the shards away. "But as I was building Zane, it was proposed to me that… perhaps when making something so lifelike, rather than make that the main function of his programming, I should give him a choice in the matter. To give him life and then ask what _he_ wanted to do with it."

"A choice?" asked Penny.

He gave Penny a smile. "Yes, it was your father who proposed it to me," he said, making her look startled. "It may be a small thing, but I feel it makes a rather large difference. Of course, Zane accepted the motto as his own and does his very best to follow it. I couldn't be more proud of him for that."

Penny smiled fondly and glanced in the direction Zane and Echo had gone. "He is rather remarkable," she said.

"That he is," Prof. Julien agreed. He then gave Penny a wink. "And he'd be quite happy to hear you say that, Ms. Penny. I've found he's quite taken with you."

Penny's cheeks turned pink. "Pixal," she corrected, dropping her hologram briefly. "My actual name is Pixal."

"Well, that's quite a lovely name," said Prof. Julien. "It's a shame it can't be used more often."

Pixal gave him a smile. She hadn't realized what a relief it would be to be her real self in front of someone other than her father. As much as she liked being Penny, Pixal is who she really is.

At that thought, she frowned. "Professor, I have a question."

Prof. Julien looked curious. "Ask away."

"Why does Zane seem so adverse to revealing his robotic nature to others?" she asked. "Any time it is alluded to he becomes quite sullen and insists the opposite is true."

Prof. Julien let out a sigh. "Yes, I'm afraid there's a reason for that," he said, running his hand through his hair. "It was unfortunate timing, but not a week after I activated him, Lord Garmadon decided to attack with some of his foot soldiers replaced by androids. Nonsentient, poorly made androids, but androids nonetheless. Because they were so poorly made, they were defeated rather quickly, and Garmadon never used them afterward, but… seeing those like him ripped apart left quite an impression on his young mind."

Pixal gasped and her heart went out to him. To see something like that when he was so new, it had to be horrible and frightening.

"To say nothing of the public's reaction to them," Prof. Julien continued, looking tired as he poured Pixal another cup of tea. "For a long time after that attack there were reruns of every robot apocalypse movie you could think of on TV, and many people went on record to declare their hatred for all robots." He let out a slightly bitter chuckle. "That's actually part of the reason Zane met and befriended the other ninja. During that time, robots were the only thing that were just as hated as Lloyd Garmadon, and Zane saw a kindred spirit in the boy. And, of course, with Lloyd came the rest."

Pixal sighed. "Well, at least one good thing came out of it. Still, poor Zane. To witness something like that…"

"Indeed," said Prof. Julien, giving Pixal the fresh cup. "As a result of fearing the hatred of others, Zane convinced himself that being a 'normal teen' would be best, and has always strived to emulate what is generally perceived as normal, though, I'm afraid he is not very good at it yet." He gave a fond sigh. "Even now, with public opinion of him being so high that I doubt they would care, he still feels the need to hide. I can only hope that someday he accepts himself for everything that he is."

Pixal nodded as she took the cup from him. "I hope he does too," she said.

Just as she said that they both heard the heavy thuds of Zane and Echo's footsteps coming slowly back to them, the boys sounding like they were stepping in sync as they carried something heavy.

Pixal quickly reactivated her hologram and became Penny once again. She and the professor looked over to see the brothers come into the kitchen carrying a computer and monitor between them.

They placed it on the table, for Penny to see, and she stared at it. She had thought they were going to get their mother. Was she going to video call them?

Once the computer was safely set on the table, Zane gave it a bright grin and said to their guest. "Penny, I would like you to meet my mom. I am sorry we had to go and fetch her. She has a monitor in almost every other room in the house and used to have one in here too, but we had an accident a few weeks ago." As he said the last part, he looked pointedly at Echo.

"I said I was sorry!" Echo protested.

"Sorry doesn't change the fact you broke Mom," Zane scolded.

'_Oh, his mother is a computer,_' Penny thought to herself. '_That makes more sense._'

The computer screen flashed, and a screech of binary erupted from the speakers to say, "_It is nice to meet you, Penny. I am Zane and Echo's Mom. I hope you will take good care of my son."_

Zane shot a look at the screen. "Moooom!" he protested.

"_I just want you to be happy, son,"_ his mother replied.

"It is nice to meet you too, ma'am," Penny replied politely. "I will do my best to watch out for him."

"_That is all I ask,"_ said Zane's Mom. "_So tell me about yourself? How did you and Zane meet?"_

"We had the misfortune of crashing into each other at school," Penny replied and then began telling her all about their friendship up to this point.

Prof. Julien just drank his tea and watched in amusement as the three robotic children conversed with his intelligent computer. It never occurred to all three of them to wonder how Penny was able to understand their computer mom perfectly when so few others could.

After all, to your average human, the vocalization of binary sounded only like the screech of dial-up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I'm back in my old timezone, so expect updates around this time again. Poor Skylor. She is now officially an alien princess in the eyes of Ninjago City. If she wasn't undercover she'd have a lot of fun messing with people thanks to that. The Ninja Force is now all on the same page in their theory about her, but while Kai wants to take action now the rest think it'd be better to wait and gather evidence, though which of them is right will soon be seen. Penny, meanwhile, is enjoying having friends and takes the initiative to hang out with Zane more. Little did she know Prof. Julien already knew all about her. Prof. Julien has been a fun character to think up. He knows all these secrets but knows when to tell them and when to keep quiet. Poor Zane, he had a rough beginning, as Penny now understands. If you hadn't guessed, his denial over his robotic nature is his block to his True Potential, and accepting himself as he is will be what unlocks it.
> 
> A huge thanks to Kay Hau for all this. It was her suggestion to have more Penny scenes in this chapter, since so much had been on Skylor previously, and many of the ideas for this came from our discussions.
> 
> Next Time: Desperate for advice, Red Nya goes to Cyan in hopes to better understand her mixed-up feelings before she hurts someone she loves.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Desperate for advice, Red Nya goes to Cyan in hopes to better understand her mixed-up feelings before she hurts someone she loves.

_Show Ninjago_

It was safe to say Nya was at her wit's end.

No matter how much she tried not to think about it, what she saw on the Perfect Match machine kept flashing through her mind.

It was silly, she knew, but it had her questioning _everything!_

She had asked Borg casually during the meeting (and out of earshot of Jay) about the machine, and he'd been happy to tell her all about how he was sure the readings would always be accurate.

That was _not_ what she'd wanted to hear.

Now, because of that, she found herself actually _considering_ it. What if she would be better off with Cole? It wasn't like he wasn't attractive, and nice, and strong, and took her seriously, and…

And she was dating _Jay!_ His _best friend!_ That was the problem!

The guilt of it was practically eating her alive. Because she _did_ genuinely like Jay. He made her laugh, and was the first person smart enough to keep up with her mechanical talk. He always looked at her like it was _her _that created the sun and stars, not the First Spinjitzu Master. If he ever found out she'd been having these thoughts, he'd be devastated.

He could never know. No matter what happens, he can't find out she was thinking about such things.

She needed help. Fast!

The worst part about it all was that there was no one she could even talk to about this. No one she could trust to be impartial at least. She couldn't tell Jay, and talking to Cole was out of the question too. She couldn't tell her brother, he'd just fry both boys and consider the matter solved. Normally she would talk to Zane, but since the tower visit, he was always either lost in a lovesick daze over Pixal or away discussing the upgrades with his family. Lloyd was still at the age where kissing was gross and was too young to be of much help anyway. And the last time any of them tried to go to Sensei Wu or Garmadon for love advice, the old men had made up an excuse to be anywhere but there.

That only left Misako, and she was absolutely no help.

The older woman had noticed Nya's considering gaze at Cole and Jay almost the instant they'd returned to the monastery and tea shop, and remarked how familiar it was. But instead of offering advice on how she could go about resolving it, she had instead reminisced about her own past romances with Wu and Garmadon (uh, ew!), and how romantic it was to have two boys vying for her attention (it wasn't, and Cole _wasn't_ vying for her because he knew she was with Jay, it was _her_ considering him, thus the guilt).

So, yes, talking to her was unlikely to be helpful.

She just wanted someone she could _confide_ in. Someone she could actually talk to that would listen without judgment, and give her advice she could actually _use!_

Someone like a big sister…

_That's it!_

If there was no help to be found on her Ninjago, she'd just have to go to another one.

* * *

_Movie Ninjago_

When Nya heard the knock at the door, she assumed it was Skylor and/or Penny arriving to work on their project.

She was not expecting to see her counterpart standing there and blurting out something so fast that she barely understood it.

"HAVEYOUEVERBEENATTRACTEDTOCOLE!" Red Nya practically shouted as soon as the door opened.

Cyan Nya looked at Red with a raised eyebrow, before stepping back to allow her inside. "Want to run that by me again?" she asked as she shut the door behind her.

Red fidgeted under her gaze, but repeated her question, "Have you… ever been attracted to Cole?" she asked again nervously.

Cyan stared at her for a long minute. So she hadn't hallucinated the question then. "Physically, yeah, Cole's hot. But have I ever wanted to date him? No, and he's never shown any interest in me either. He doesn't want to deal with the drama and says music is his one and only love." Her expression then turned confused. "Wait, aren't you already dating your Jay?"

Red fidgeted even more. "Yes, but… I've started having second thoughts," she admitted.

"Why?" Cyan asked, not entirely surprised.

Red hung her head and looked embarrassed. "A… dating machine told me to," she said, seeming to realize how ridiculous it sounded the moment she said it.

Cyan pinched her brow and sighed. It was times like this she was reminded that her counterpart was younger than her. Not as dramatic an age gap as the Lloyds, but enough to make a difference in cases such as this.

Which is probably why she'd come to her for help.

Even so, while she prided herself on her Nya Tests, giving Red _another_ test after apparently taking computerized one would only make her question which was more legitimate, and why Cyan's was better than whatever she'd already done.

Not to mention, she'd have similar results. When they'd met their counterparts, the two had already been dating so Cyan hadn't said anything, but after spending time with them, she had seen the small cracks in their relationship. That didn't mean they couldn't work it out on their own, but she was sure if either Red Nya or Nick Jay took her test right now they would fail.

Still, that didn't mean she'd just try to set Red up with Cliff Cole, especially since she doubted he'd pass either, and stealing your best friend's girlfriend was a low she hoped he wouldn't stoop to.

Either way you looked at it, a standard Nya Test wasn't going to cut it this time. Cyan Nya would need to do something different. Something outside the box that she'd never done before. But… what?

At that moment, there was another knock at the door, and this time it was Skylor and Penny there for the project.

Cyan opened the door to let them in. At the sight of Red, they both paused and looked at her in surprise. "Hey, Nya, who's this?" asked Skylor curiously.

"I did not know you had company over," added Penny, looking just as curious.

Both Nyas exchanged glances. "I-We weren't expecting her to come by today," said Cyan. "As for why she's here, well, it's a long story. One I'm actually kinda curious to hear as well."

"Oh? Should we come back later?" asked Skylor, looking disappointed.

Cyan looked over at her friends with a considering expression. Well, if they were already there… maybe hearing from a second opinion would help Red more than just herself.

A few minutes later found Red crammed between Kai and Cyan on the latter's bed, with Skylor lounging on a beanbag, and Penny sitting primly at her computer desk.

"So, what's up?" asked Skylor casually. "Not that I'm not turning down a chance to hang out and do something outside of homework and surprise parties, but what's the story?"

"I admit I am curious about that too," said Penny politely. "And may I ask who your friend is? I have not seen her at school."

"Guys, this is, uh, Ruby. We call her Red," said Cyan, picking the first name that meant red she could think of. "She's our cousin from out of town. She's here because she's been having boy troubles. Maybe you can give a second opinion."

Penny and Skylor looked surprised, but Kai spoke up before they could. "Wait, so then why am I here?" he asked. Helping his sister with her surveys was one thing, but discussing the love lives of others was a whole other story.

"You're here in case we need a boy's perspective on things, and we can trust you not to blab or be judgy," said Cyan Nya. "And also for support hugs."

Kai nodded in understanding. "Fair enough," he said, already wrapping an arm around Red's shoulders.

"And you trust us with this as well?" asked Penny, still looking surprised.

Cyan shrugged and looked self-conscious for a moment. Admittedly, calling for help wasn't the first thing she'd usually think of. In fact, it was usually the last thing she would ever do, but this time was different. "I don't have many female friends," she said. "Honestly, it's just you guys and Red. But I think I can trust you with this."

Skylor looked touched, and Penny looked away to hide a shy smile. However, none of the ninjas noticed the quick flash of guilt on both of their faces.

"Still, it's up to Red," added Cyan, looking at the Nya in question. "Do you want them here too? I know you just came to talk to me."

Red Nya looked over at the two girls before her. She had no idea who either of them were, having never met their counterparts in her world (though something about the blonde girl was so familiar, she couldn't put her finger on it), but she felt needed all the help she could get. "I trust Nya's judgment," she said finally.

Cyan grinned at that.

"Well then," said Skylor, sitting up straighter in the beanbag and giving Red her full attention. "What's the story, Morning Glory."

Red Nya, while still hesitant, explained her situation while leaving our or changing anything that would give away her interdimensional status. How she was currently dating a great and funny guy, Nick, but recently came across a match-making computer program that was supposed to be one hundred percent accurate every time, and instead of matching her with her boyfriend, it matched her with his best friend, Cliff, thus sending her into a spiraling dilemma and desperate to just _talk_ to someone about it, but no one back home had or could be any help.

When she finished, Skylor grimaced and said, "I've always hated those kinds of dating-things," she said. "It's so… soulless. Like, how's a machine supposed to know what I want better than I do."

Penny looked uncomfortable and said, "I've… had experience with such a thing before. The machine was able to scan people's online activity and information to match them with others with common interests and personalities, but for lasting romance, it would not always be accurate. There was a flaw in the programming that was not foreseen."

That grabbed Red's interest. "Flaw?" she asked in surprise. "What flaw?"

"One thing the inventor of it learned the hard way is that people tend to act… differently online than they do in person," explained Penny. "Some are more confident, others seem more distant due to preferring the real world to the cyber one."

"And some people use the anonymity it gives to be massive jerks," added Skylor. "If they don't know it's you being nasty, then you can do it with no consequences."

"Tell me about it," the twins said in unison, having faced more than their fair share of such behavior both before and after their identities had been revealed.

Red frowned. That… made a lot of sense. The Perfect Match machine's words when she stepped onto it described the person she wanted to be seen as. An 'independent and self-confident' young woman. But… right now she didn't feel very self-confident, and if she was so independent would she really be worrying this much about dating a boy? Not to mention its words about not being part of a 'boy's club.' Those were _her_ words! And despite that, with the discovery of her water powers and new ninja training, she _was_ already part of the boy's club, but that was a secret to the rest of the world (and with Cyan around, it didn't feel so male-exclusive anymore). If the Perfect Match just read her online data, then it wouldn't actually know the truth.

Penny nodded in agreement. "Such things skew the data required to make such predictions fully accurate, as well as the fact that there are some parts of a person's life that are simply not documented on a computer, especially if they come from more rural areas."

Kai frowned at that. "Hey, Red, didn't you and your brother grow up in a remote village with almost no tech?"

Red sighed, seeing where he was going with this. "Yeah, and even if there was technology there, it wasn't like we could afford it."

"What about both boys?" asked Skylor.

Red frowned thoughtfully. "Nick grew up pretty isolated too, and while he's really good with technology, I don't know how much computer access he had where he lived. And Cliff spent his early life in a suburb outside the city, but… he spent most of it doing something he hated to please his dad. I don't know if he ever mentioned his dislike of it online so his father wouldn't find out. Would something like that change how he's seen?"

Penny nodded. "Yes. Those are pretty big gaps in information to take into consideration. While a match between you and the boy it recommended could go somewhere, there may simply be not enough data on you _or_ them to be perfectly accurate. And even then, people are simply not that logical."

While Red seemed relieved to hear that, she still didn't look fully satisfied.

Seeing this, Cyan asked, "What is it?"

Red let out a frustrated sigh. "Even if the machine _was_ wrong, I just can't unthink this. It's been bugging me for over a day now. What if-what if I'm not meant to be with J-Nick? What if I'd be happier with Cliff? What if our relationship is doomed to crash and burn?"

"If you keep up that attitude it definitely will," said Kai bluntly.

He was immediately shot several annoyed glares. Raising his hands up in defense, he said, "What? It's the truth."

Skylor rolled her eyes in amusement and said, "While as sensitive as a brick to the face, he's not wrong. A big part of maintaining any relationship is mental. If you spend all your time thinking you're doomed to fail, then it's a lot more likely that you will."

The others nodded in agreement, and Red slumped against Kai as he pulled her more fully into a comforting hug.

"So what should I do?" Red finally asked.

There was a beat of silence as they thought it over.

Finally, Penny spoke up, "I know I said people are not logical, but I can offer you a logical answer."

Red perked up at that. "Lay it on me," she said.

"Perhaps it would be best to… take a step back," said Penny slowly. "With being so unsure about yourself and your feelings, you will likely only end up hurting the boy you are with now. It may be best to simply take a break from the relationship until your thoughts on the matter are more clear."

That… sounded reasonable.

Red frowned thoughtfully. "J-Nick won't like that," she admitted.

"He doesn't have to like it," said Skylor. "He just has to understand you're not in the right headspace for a relationship right now."

"Just be honest with him," said Cyan Nya. "Tell him about your doubts, and you can even tell him about the matchmaker thingy. Just make sure he knows that pushing you on it will only push you away."

"And, uh," said Kai scratching his head. "If you do tell him about the computer, maybe don't tell him it was Cliff that came up."

They all turned to look at him for that contribution.

"Wouldn't it be better if she were honest?" asked Penny curiously.

Kai winced slightly. "Not about that." Seeing they still weren't getting it, he added, "Hey, you wanted a guy's perspective. If I was in the same situation with the girl I like, and I don't know Cole, I'd be _furious!_"

"That bad?" asked Red, looking worried.

Kai thought of all the times he'd talked his team's ears off about his crush on Skylor when Cyan Nya wasn't around, and how betrayed he'd feel if one of them put her in Red's position even unintentionally. "I'm not gonna lie, I'd probably set him on fire, even if it wasn't his fault."

The girls all winced as well.

"Okay," said Red with a nod. "I'll leave that part out. It's not like that's his business anyway."

Cyan snorted. "Please, he'll probably bend over backward trying to find out who is."

Red had to snicker at that, imagining all the hijinks her Jay would get into just to find the answer. "I'll keep him from going too far," she said. She then sent a grateful smile at them all. "Thanks, I needed this."

They all waved off her thanks as unnecessary, before falling silent.

"Is the girl talk over now?" asked Penny, looking slightly disappointed about that.

"Well, it doesn't have to be," said Cyan Nya, turning to Kai with a mischievous grin. "Dear brother, when you were speaking hypothetically just now you mentioned '_the'_ girl you like, not '_a'_ girl. You wouldn't happen to have someone particular in mind, do you?"

Kai turned beat red, and not so subtly glanced in Skylor's direction. "I, uh, I just remembered, it's my turn to patrol the desert tonight. _Gottagobye!"_ after saying the last bit in a rush, he bolted from the room so fast they all felt a breeze.

The girls' laughter followed after him as he went.

"I suppose it _is_ over now," said Penny in disappointment.

"Doesn't have to be," said Skylor, turning to Cyan with a smirk. "I've noticed you and Jay seem to have a thing going on. Wanna share about that?"

Red stiffened next to her, but Cyan kept her cool. "At the moment it's nothing to really talk about," she said with a shrug. "We're not dating."

The other three girls all looked at her in surprise. "Really?" asked Skylor. "From what I've seen, he seems to like you."

"He does," Cyan confirmed with a nod.

"Do you like him?" asked Penny curiously.

"I do," said Cyan Nya assuredly.

They stared at her for a long moment, before Red finally asked, "So why aren't you dating?"

Cyan let out a heavy sigh. "He's not ready," she said.

"What do you mean?" asked Penny in confusion.

Cyan hesitated. She'd not expected this when she invited them to listen. Helping out with Red was all she'd wanted, she didn't expect to be dragged in as well. But… this was the first time she had the opportunity to talk about this with someone other than her brother.

"I mean, yeah, we like each other," she admitted slowly. "But he… Whenever he tries to flirt or tell me he likes me, or just blurts out something nice without meaning to, he just kinda shuts down. His nerves get the better of him and he can't even function from the embarrassment. He then tries to curl up in a ball and disappear to get away from it."

Red blinked in surprise. That was pretty much the opposite of her Jay, who got louder and talked faster when he was nervous.

Skylor looked amused. "Yeah, while that sounds kinda cute, it'd kill any romantic mood pretty quick."

Cyan nodded. It had been cute the first few times, but she knew it was a real problem and Jay hated when it happened.

"Why do you not simply admit your feelings to him instead?" asked Penny. "So that he does not feel pressured."

"I would, but… he'd feel bad about that," said Cyan. "He's a hopeless romantic, so he wants it to be him that confesses to me like a scene out of a movie. It'd be easy for me if I took the initiative, but I know it's important to him so I'm fine with waiting until he's ready."

The other three girls stared at her in surprise.

"That's actually really sweet," said Red.

Cyan shrugged. "It's not like there's a rush and he'll be so happy when he finally gets it right."

"So Nya's off the table, we've already talked about Red, that leaves…" said Skylor thoughtfully, before giving Penny a playful smirk. "Penny, do you have anything you'd like to share with the class?"

"We're not in class," said Penny, looking confused.

The other girls laughed like she'd made a joke, assuming she was trying to dodge the question.

"You and Zane," said Cyan, still snickering. "How are things going with you two?"

Red stopped laughing and stared back and forth between Cyan and Penny in shock. "Wait, what?" she asked.

"Oh," said Penny, realizing what they meant. "Zane and I are good friends. We spent time at his house after school today before I came here. His family is lovely."

The other three girls waited a moment to see if she would say more. When she didn't, Skylor said, "Soooo, do you like him?"

Penny looked bewildered at the question. "Yes, I just said he is my friend."

"But do you like him as _more_ than a friend?" asked Skylor.

Finally seeming to realize where they were going with these questions, Penny looked thoughtful. "I… hadn't considered it," she said. "I have never had friends before, so I am not sure how to tell. How would I know?"

"Well, what do you like about him?" asked Cyan, her tone casual, but her eyes sharp. "Or what don't you like?"

Penny frowned and actually seemed to be giving it some serious thought.

"The things I don't like is a much shorter list," she said finally. "I do not like that he sang _Never Gonna Give You Up_ five times last night at karaoke, once was enough. I do not like that he made Skylor think he was creepy in the cafeteria the other day. Finally, I do not like that he denies himself and who he is, but I understand that is not his fault and hope he recovers from it."

The girls blinked at her blankly, but Penny wasn't finished.

"Things that I like," she said. "I like that he is sweet. I like that he pays attention when I speak, and listens to my opinion even if we do not agree. I like his jokes. I like that he appreciates my assistance. I like that he strives to live up to his family motto. I like that he wished to befriend me after a brief meeting. I like that he is kind…"

She looked like she would have continued on and on, but Skylor cut her off with a laugh. "Wow, safe to say you definitely like him. A _lot._"

"You love _Zane?"_ Red finally said incredulously, having been gaping in incomprehension since it had been brought up.

Penny's cheeks turned pink. "Love?" she asked. "I am very fond of him, but I am still… unsure. We have only just become friends."

"And that's fine," said Cyan with a shrug. "It's not like there's a rush, and these things take time."

Penny looked thoughtful and nodded in agreement. "Yes," she said. "Time will tell."

"But he's a _N__indroid!_" Red Nya burst out. She knew their worlds were different, but she hadn't thought it would be like this, especially with her Zane being so far gone over Borg's assistant android at this very moment. "Aren't you worried you're not…" she fumbled for the right word to describe it, and settled on the one Pixal had used when initially dismissing Zen Zane, "... Compatible?"

"Wait, so he really is a robot?" asked Skylor. "I was wondering about that, but thought it'd be rude to ask."

Cyan gave Red the stink-eye for blurting that out but conceded she had a point. "It is something to keep in mind if you ever do want to date him," she said to Penny. "He'll likely outlive you, and a lot of things would be different from your average relationship."

Penny gave a small smile, and for a brief second, it looked like she knew something they didn't. "Not so different, I don't think," she said. "Compatibility is what we make of ourselves." She then looked thoughtful, "And if he should outlive me, well, I suppose he could download my consciousness to a disc and load it into his own harddrive…" She then stopped when she saw the vaguely horrified looks on their faces. "Kidding," she said quickly. "It is something to think about in the future, not right now."

The other three looked like they didn't know what to do about her odd brand of humor. "Okaaaay," said Skylor slowly.

Realizing she might have said too much, and hoping to draw attention away from herself, Penny quickly said, "How about you, Skylor?" she asked. "How true was Garmadon's post that Kai is your 'gf'?"

"You mean is _she_ his 'gf'," corrected Cyan with a grin, partially glad to poke Skylor back for asking about her relationship.

Red Nya was gaping again. _Kai?_ Her _brother_ (well, his counterpart at least)_?_ Had a _girlfriend?_

Skylor looked startled but then gave a coy grin. "Kai's a really sweet guy. With all he's done for me I'll say this, if he asks me out, I'd have a hard time saying no. Or maybe I should ask…" her grin then fell off her face, and she looked a little blue. "But maybe… not right now," she added, reaching up to touch her left arm. "I, uh, have a lot going on right now. Just moved in, new school, that sort of stuff. Give it a few weeks and we'll see how things go."

It didn't escape Cyan's notice that the arm Skylor was clutching was her bruised one, and once again her team's suspicions flashed through her mind. But aloud all she said was, "Like I said, there's no rush. Just know you can tell us anything. _Anything_ at all."

Skylor grinned. "I'll keep that in mind," she promised, but her smile didn't reach her eyes.

With that, the girl talk fizzled out, and the three local girls started on their project. Red Nya decided to stay and help, providing information from her Ninjago that she'd heard from Misako that they would need to cross-reference to see if it was true.

Still, for varying reasons, it had been the first time all four girls had had a chance to talk about things like that. There was a new level of trust formed there that they hadn't had before. It was nice.

They should do it again sometime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually one of the first scenes I ever wrote for this fic. That first chunk from the moment Red Nya shows up at Cyan's doorstep to when Kai ran out was written before I'd even started chapter one. It was just a scene that was very clear in my mind at the time, and I had to write it down. Kay Hau was a major help in writing the rest of this chapter. At least half the ideas came from her, and it all came about from our discussions of what each girl would think of their relationship with their respective beau at this point in the story. As it is, Red Nya is going to take a hiatus from her relationship. They're not fully going to break up, but she is taking a step back to avoid hurting Nick Jay even worse than this already will. Cyan Nya is making a little headway in her True Potential by accepting some help from her friends, and is content to wait until Freckles Jay is ready and in the right headspace for a relationship, because she knows to wait will mean that much more. It's likely the first time Penny even considered a romantic relationship with Zane. She isn't averse to it, but still feels she's too new at the friendship thing to take it any further and is willing to wait and see. And Skylor is already sweet on Kai, but fully knows that if and when her father's plans come to light he might not want anything to do with her anymore, and won't pursue a romance to mitigate the hurt.
> 
> Show: Red Nya, Nick Jay, Cliff Cole
> 
> Movie: Cyan Nya
> 
> As mentioned above, a MASSIVE thanks to Kay Hau for betaing and helping plan this chapter. Penny's 'joke' about downloading herself to Zane's hard drive was hers, and half the ideas for the chapter came from our talks.
> 
> Next Time: Red Nya breaks the news to Jay, and it goes about as well as expected. Meanwhile, at Borg Industries, the saboteur takes things up a notch.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Nya breaks the news to Jay, and it goes about as well as expected. Meanwhile, at Borg Industries, the saboteur takes things up a notch.

_Show Ninjago_

All was peaceful in the valley outside of Steep Wisdom, Sensei Garmadon and Wu's monastery and tea shop. Or it was until…

"WHAAAAAAT!"

Birds were sent flying as a deafening wail erupted from outside the building.

The source of the wail was one very distraught Master of Lightning, who was gaping at Nya like she'd just told him the world was ending tomorrow.

Nya winced at the sight of his face. She'd tried to tell him her decision to take a break from dating gently, but he was still didn't take it well. "I need a break," she said again, knowing Jay was hoping he'd misheard her. "From dating that is. Something came up and I need to get my head together."

"But why?" asked Jay, his expression desperate. "Was it something I did? Was it something I said? I _knew_ I shouldn't have made that joke about the hippo. I'm _so_ sorry, I'll never tell it again!"

"Jay no," she said, shaking her head rapidly (though that particular joke told at breakfast _had _been particularly bad). "It's not you, it's _me._"

Jay just looked at her, and Nya realized how cliche that sounded. "No, really," she insisted. "_I'm_ the one mixed up right now. You've been great."

"Mixed up about _what?"_ Jay burst out. "What happened? What do I need to do?

Nya wouldn't look at him and sighed. "When we were at Borg Industries I… found this computer while I went to help with Echo. It's supposed to show your perfect romantic partner and… it _didn't _show you."

Jay looked like he might be having a heart attack. "Who was it?" he asked weakly, probably imagining her heart already had been swept away by some stranger. "Who?"

"It doesn't matter who it was," Nya said firmly, but still refusing to look at him. "I did some research and asked some people, and got confirmation that the machine might not be accurate anyway, but just seeing that… I felt confused."

Jay's face crumbled even more.

"So now I talked it out with Cyan, and I… I don't think I should be dating anyone," Nya said, finally turning to look him in the eye. "Not while I'm so unsure. So I'm asking that we take a break. I _don't_ want to hurt you, Jay. I _really_ don't. But if we keep dating while I feel like this… It's just not a good idea."

Jay, realizing that this was reality and not some nightmare, slumped.

Nya reached out as if to comfort him, before pulling her hand back at the last second, knowing that would only make it worse. "You're a great guy, Jay," she said. "But I'm not ready for a relationship. I'm sorry."

With that, she turned and ran towards the tea shop in hopes that doing some work could help her escape the guilt.

But before she could enter the door, she heard Jay call out behind her.

"Who was it?" he asked.

Nya glanced back to see Jay standing where she'd left him, only now his stance was tense with rage, but it was clear the anger wasn't directed at her.

"Who did it show you?" he asked again, with rage simmering in his words. "Who made you confused? Who was it?" His voice grew angrier and more demanding with each repetition.

Unbidden, Buddy Kai's words echoed through Nya's head. "_I'm not gonna lie, I'd probably set him on fire, even if it wasn't his fault_."

She couldn't do that to him. Cole was his best friend, but with how angry Jay was right now he'd flip out at him in a heartbeat. She couldn't do that to either of them.

So instead, Nya just shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I'm not going to date him either." She then hurried into the shop before he could ask again.

Outside she heard him give a frustrated growl and use his lightning powers against a nearby tree, ranting about what he'd do to this faceless stranger when he found him.

Nya slumped against the door at the sound of it. It would have been better if he blamed her.

She could never let him find out it was Cole. Not in a million years.

* * *

Dr. Julien looked down at the blueprints they had created and did his best to focus. Looking between his old blueprints of Zane and Echo and the new ones they had drawn up… "I think we've done it," he said, turning to smile at the man in the wheelchair (What was his name? Bean? Bog? Borg! That was it!). "With these new plans, we'll be able to update both my sons so we will not have to worry about obsolete parts. Remarkable."

"Indeed," agreed Borg, returning his grin. "I'm quite glad we were able to keep Echo's clockwork design for the changes. It is simply remarkable what you created in him. But adding a solar panel to power more electronic features and replacing his parts with non-corrodable ones will go a long way to help him."

The two inventors glanced over to where Zane, Echo, and Pixal were waiting in front of a massive TV screen. Zane was attempting to make small talk with Pixal, and she seemed to be responding with a friendly if professional demeanor, not that that detoured Zane at all. Echo, while he didn't appear as shy as usual, still made sure his brother was between him and Pixal at all times, apparently not as eager to befriend her as Zane was.

The Julien family had returned to Borg Tower to put the final touches on the blueprints they, Nya and Jay had come up with on the previous visit, and hammer out the last few details they needed.

"All that's left is to order the correct parts," said Dr. Borg cheerfully, as he put the request into his computer. "Since we are upgrading their existing bodies rather than building them new ones, I'm afraid we'll have to order some custom pieces. They should be here in a few days."

"Excellent," said Dr. Julien, pulling out a notebook to write this information down. It was a habit he had fallen into when it became clear his memory was going, though the trick was for him to remember to read through it as often as he could. Fortunately, one of his sons would always helpfully remind him.

Seeing that, Dr. Borg said, "If you would like, I could offer you an electronic pad to keep track of notes on. It would do more than just take notes, but also take pictures, play music and videos, and allow for internet access among other things. It's very useful and modern."

Dr. Julien finished his writing and shook his head. "I appreciate the offer," he said, "but I must decline. If I were to get a new… pad you said? If I were to get one, I, well, I wouldn't know what to do with it. I'd likely forget how to operate it, and it would be a nuisance for my sons to reiterate how to do so every time. Also," he held up the notebook, showing its age, the extra pages pressed in, and front to back pages upon pages of writing. "I have used this particular notebook even before my memory began going. It's simple and familiar in a way your new technology isn't, and therefore easier for my mind to recognize as important. If I had an electronic one, I might leave it behind thinking it must belong to someone else."

Dr. Borg nodded, seeing the logic in this. "I see. That hadn't occurred to me." He then let out a chuckle. "I thought for sure that in a few years such things as paper books or the like would be obsolete with the electronic versions being more available and useful. That technology was our shining future for a new age, but I suppose there's still many who see otherwise."

"I will say so," Dr. Julien agreed. "For as wondrous as the technology you've created is, it is always good to keep in mind that it might not be for everyone. Even if it is just forgetful old men like me."

Dr. Borg chuckled, "Perhaps not, as Pixal told me the Red Ninja did not seem very fond of it either. Still, it is something to keep in mind." He then turned to where the three androids were, and called, "Pixal, boys, we're done for today. Was there anything else you needed before you go?"

The two Nindroids and one android turned to face him. "No," said Zane as he began to make his way over with Echo at his side, leaving Pixal where they'd been talking. "I believe we are finished as well. It was very nice to-"

But before Zane could finish, they heard the screech of metal buckling, and all turned to see the large TV screen they'd been chatting beside begin to fall towards them, looking to crush the three of them beneath it.

Without hesitation, Zane shoved his little brother out of harm's way. Echo skidded across the ground and came to a stop safely (well, aside from his arm popping out again) at Drs. Julien and Borg's feet out of the crunch zone.

The instant Zane registered Echo's safety he shifted his focus to Pixal, as she was still far too close to the falling screen, and he doubled back to tackle her out of the way, throwing up a pillar of ice to slow its descent as he did so.

He managed to throw both of them out of the way just as the screen was pierced on the pillar he'd created and it shattered as glass and wires spilled from it. Zane covered Pixal as best he could so that she would be hit with any debris that went flying in the crash.

"ZANE!"

"PIXAL!"

"BIG BROTHER!"

Once he was sure it was safe to do so, Zane slowly sat up and looked down at Pixal. "Are you alright."

Pixal blinked up at him, seeming to be one part shocked at her near brush with death, and one part awed by who had saved her. "You could have moved to safety, and yet you ran back into danger for me," she said. "Why?"

Zane gave her a smile. "I did not want you to get hurt," he said, taking her hands and helping her to her feet. "I felt you were worth the risk."

Pixal stared at him as if seeing him for the first time. "I- Thank you. I appreciate the sentiment, but in the future, you should be more careful," she said, looking to the side with a smile, but not pulling her hands away from where they were still held in Zane's.

"Big Brother!" they heard Echo call, and they turned to see the rusted Nindroid hurrying over to them, having left his arm behind to reach them quickly.

Behind him, Dr. Julien was carefully pushing Dr. Borg's wheelchair around the shattered glass, with the abandoned arm resting on the latter's lap as they worked their way to them.

Pixal quickly pulled her hands away as they approached and dusted off herself off, and Zane turned to face his little brother.

"Echo, are you alright?" he asked. "I am sorry I had to push you, but I wanted you safe."

Echo gave a lopsided shrug. "I'm alright," he said, his face pinched with worry. " What about you? You're sparkling."

Zane looked down in confusion and saw that small sparkling flecks of the shattered glass were still caught in his gi.

"That won't do," said Pixal, reaching over to begin brushing the glass out of his clothes. "Are you damaged at all? Did the glass prick your synthetic skin?"

"No, I am fine," said Zane, giving her a warm smile.

Pixal finished dusting him off and returned the smile, this one more genuine than before.

"That may be enough excitement for today," said Dr. Julien when they finally reached them.

"Indeed," said Dr. Borg, looking at the remains of the screen warily, his face pale from what he'd just witnessed.

"Rest assured, Dr. Borg," said Zane. "My friends and I are investigating the sabotage along with our other ninja duties. While our patrols have found nothing yet, there is someone responsible for this, and we will find them."

"I greatly appreciate that," said Dr. Borg. "This has gone on for much too long, and while we've been lucky thus far, things are quickly becoming more and more dangerous. I couldn't imagine what I'd do if Pixal had been hurt just now. I can not thank you enough, Zane, for saving her."

"No thanks are needed," said Zane humbly. "I would not want to see her harmed either, and will never let that happen if I can help it."

Pixal looked touched, before turning to face Dr. Julien. "You have a very caring son, Dr. Julien," she said.

"Indeed I do," Dr. Julien agreed.

No one saw Echo frown slightly at her words, but he said nothing. He simply took back his arm, and the Juliens left the building to head home for the day after Zane searched the room thoroughly for the perpetrator, but found nothing.

As Dr. Julien reattached Echo's arm in the back seat of their car, he said, "Is something the matter, son? You seem upset."

From where he was driving, Zane glanced in the mirror at his father, worried if he had forgotten the incident already.

However, Echo's expression was indeed rather sullen as his father worked.

"I… don't really like her," he said.

"Who?" asked Dr. Julien as he finished and sat back in his seat.

Echo slowly rotated his arm in its socket to make sure it was attached correctly. He tested it a bit longer than necessary to delay answering but knew he couldn't put it off forever. Finally, he replied, "... Pixal."

Zane shot another quick glance in the rearview mirror but kept silent. In the back, Dr. Julien frown thoughtfully. "Borg's android daughter? Why? She seems quite nice to me if I recall correctly."

"I have felt the same of her," Zane agreed.

Echo turned to stare out the window so he wouldn't have to face them. "I don't like her," he said again. "She… she treats us like _things_. Like father is our owner, not our father."

"Why do you think that?" asked Dr. Julien in surprise.

"She asked _you_ if it was alright to scan us," Echo said quietly. "And when Zane saved her, even if she thanked him, she complimented _you_ about it, not Zane. She never asks us what we want or what we like. And she always acts surprised when we ask her those things like we shouldn't be doing that."

Zane made sure to focus on the road ahead, but inside his mind was whirring. Looking back over all his encounters with Pixal up to that point, he could see what Echo was talking about. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"I see," said Dr. Julien. He then let soft sigh. "It's possible she may indeed think that way. It's an unfortunate mentality some androids can have. I'm not sure if you remember it, Zane, but you thought of yourself in much the same way not long after you were first activated."

Zane blinked and glanced in the mirror briefly in surprise. "I did?"

"He did?" Echo echoed.

"Indeed," said Dr. Julien with a fond chuckle. "It took time for me to convince you that you are your own person, not a tool for me to use, but eventually I was able to convince you that your thoughts and opinions matter as much as mine."

Zane frowned as he tried to remember thinking such a thing, but it was so long ago.

"Did I ever think like that?" asked Echo curiously.

"I do not think so," said Dr. Julien. "Thanks to my having Zane before, I had some idea of what to do to avoid causing you to think that way." He then grimaced and looked apologetically at Echo, "However, with my memory, I'm afraid I could be mistaken."

Echo looked slightly downcast but nodded in understanding.

"Even if you once did, you do not think such now," said Zane encouragingly. "I'd say father was successful."

Echo brightened somewhat at that. "But why does Pixal still think so?" he asked. "Is she still too new?"

"It's… possible," said Dr. Julien, though it was clear the details about Pixal were already slipping away from him.

"Dr. Borg is very busy with his company," said Zane. "It is possible he is not aware Pixal thinks such a way, or he has not had time to address it."

"That is true," said Dr. Julien. "With you two, we were alone in isolation and had plenty of time to establish your sense of self. It is possible…" he paused, trying to remember their names, "uh, _they_ haven't been able to as of yet."

Echo nodded looking satisfied, and the rest of the trip home was peaceful.

* * *

When Zane returned to Steep Wisdom, it was anything _but_ peaceful.

Jay was the most obvious disturbance, storming throughout the building and ranting at anyone who would listen how he was going to pummel some guy he didn't even know. Nya was less obvious but just as confusing as she seemed to be using the little ninja training she'd gotten so far to skirt around the edge of rooms and avoid being in Jay's sight at all costs, and when he did spot her, she would book it out of the room at top speed, causing Jay's ranting to go even louder. Eventually, she just locked herself in her room and refused to come out. Cole and Kai seemed just as confused as Zane was, and were trying to ask Nya and Jay what was going on, but could not get a word in edgewise with all the yelling.

"What happened?" Zane asked Lloyd, who was watching the drama unfold while eating popcorn on a sofa.

"Nya broke up with Jay," Lloyd said in a deadpan, shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

Well, that explained why Jay was wailing his head off about how life wasn't fair, and why Nya was avoiding him.

"But why?" asked Zane, confused how such a thing had happened. As far as he'd been aware, they had been a perfectly happy couple until now.

Lloyd shrugged as he continued to eat the popcorn. "Dunno," he said. "Nya hasn't said, but Jay seems to think it's 'cause some other guy was chasing her, and that somehow scared her away from Jay." Lloyd then scoffed. "Like Nya'd let some random guy scare her. She'd kick his butt."

"It does seem unlikely," agreed Zane. He then glanced down at the youngest ninja, "Where are Sensei Wu, Sensei Garmadon or Misako? Are they going to offer any wisdom?"

Lloyd snorted. "Yeah right. Misako looked like she might help but Nya looked scared when she tried, and Dad suddenly 'remembered' he was going to take her out to dinner tonight so they left. Uncle Wu then decided it was a good time to go meditate on a mountain somewhere, and left Cole in charge."

Zane glanced over at Cole, who was trying valiantly to get the story out of Jay in a way that made sense but was beginning to look overwhelmed. "Is this really the time?" the nindroid asked

Lloyd snickered. "It's the perfect time," he said in amusement. "He wanted to avoid the 'teen drama'."

Looking at the madhouse in front of him, Zane muttered, "I don't really blame him."

Lloyd laughed again and seemed content to watch the show.

Finally, Cole seemed to give up on trying to talk to Jay and just hefted him over his shoulder to carry him outside. "Okay, Zaptrap," he said before Jay could complain. "You clearly have too much energy right now, so let's work it off and _then_ you can tell me what's wrong."

Jay squawked in protest but could do little as Cole carried him out to the training yard to work off some of his issues on the dummies.

With Jay out of the building, things suddenly got a lot quieter. Not too quiet, as they could still hear him outside, either venting at Cole or attacking the training dummies with a vigor.

Feeling that peace had hopefully been restored, Zane took the remaining popcorn from Lloyd. "I'm about to start dinner, so it would be best that you do not ruin your appetite," he said in response to the dirty look Lloyd sent him as a result.

Lloyd blew a raspberry at him, before heading out to watch Jay pummel training dummies, and maybe do some training as well.

Zane shook his head in amusement. Even when the world _wasn't_ in danger of being destroyed, there was never a dull moment around his friends.

He then headed for the kitchen, but as he did he paused at the corner when he heard Kai knocking at a door.

"Nya? Jay's gone outside and Cole's not letting him back in anytime soon," he called to his sister through her bedroom door. "Are you okay? Can I come in?"

Not wanting to interrupt or eavesdrop, Zane quickly turned and walked in the other direction. Nya and Jay were both his friends, and between Kai and Cole, they were in good hands. If they wanted him to know what had happened in detail they could tell him themselves. He would not take sides in this argument.

Nya, meanwhile, looked at her door hesitantly, knowing her brother was waiting outside it for a response.

Before, she hadn't wanted to confide in him. She'd worried that if he knew about the whole perfect match thing, he'd either laugh at her or try to stop her from dating at all. She knew how protective he was. If Jay ever _had_ hurt her, the only thing that would have stopped him from going supernova on the Master of Lightning was if _she'd_ got to Jay first.

But that wasn't the case. Jay hadn't hurt her. It had been her that hurt him instead which left them both unhappy, and now her poor brother was trying to figure out how to help when he had no one to fry.

He'd always been there for her and was trying to be there for her now. He deserved to know the truth.

Besides, he'd be furious if he found out she'd confided in Buddy Kai and not him.

"Come in," Nya called, and Kai came through the door a moment later and stood there awkwardly.

"So, is there someone I need to punch?" Kai asked, looking hopeful there still might someone he could roast for causing this drama that hurt both his sister and his friend. "Or someone I need to intimidate? I could borrow Ultra and/or Meowthra from the Lloyds for extra effect."

Nya let out a weak giggle at the offer but shook her head. "No," she said, half wishing it were that simple. "There's no one for you to beat up… except maybe that _stupid_ dating machine."

Kai looked more confused than ever.

Nya let out another chuckle at the look on his face, before nodding to the space next to her on the bed. "You might wanna sit down," she said. "It's a long story."

Kai sat next to her and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Well, I'm here all night. Talk to me, sis."

Nya gave him a small smile and told him everything, the machine, who it showed, her doubts, and finally her discussion with Buddy Kai, Cyan Nya and her friends in the Other Ninjago.

When she was done, Kai let out a heavy sigh. "Well, I have to agree with Buddy and Cyan. Especially about how Jay shouldn't know who that thing showed. With how he's acting right now… yikes, I would _not_ want to be Cole."

"Promise you won't tell Jay?" Nya asked as that was one of her biggest worries.

Kai pulled her more into a hug. "Don't worry," he promised. "My lips are sealed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, Nya breaking the news to Jay went about as well as expected. He's heartbroken and determined to take out his rage on Nya's supposed Perfect Match. Only problem is, he has no clue who she saw. Thankfully Cole's there to help him work through his emotions and then help him search. Nya's probably going to avoid him in the meantime until he gets this out of his system. Meanwhile, Zane is making some headway with Pixal, but that nasty saboteur isn't done yet. Still, saving his crush from being crushed is one way to get her to warm up to him. Too bad Echo notices something he doesn't.
> 
> As ever, a huge shout out and thank you to Kay Hau. She was a huge help in planning out this chapter and was an awesome beta reader. Some ideas here came from her.
> 
> Next Time: Buddy Kai hadn't been lying when he said he had patrol that night. As he and his teammates search the desert, the Snake Mech stalks its next victims.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buddy Kai hadn't been lying when he said he had patrol that night. As he and his teammates search the desert, the Snake Mech stalks its next victims.

_Movie Ninjago_

In the pitch-black desert night, a set of gleaming yellow eyes crept silently up to the Serpentine village.

It stopped atop a dune and peered down at the buildings below, searching for possible targets.

Most of the Serpentine people were asleep in their beds, but there were still several vigilantly patrolling the streets. Some were soldiers sent from the capital to protect the village. Others were civilians who knew of the disappearances and had volunteered to protect their homes. All of them circled the outer streets of the village, searching the desert sands beyond it for any sign of trouble.

They would not make good targets. They were expecting the attack and would put up a fight and make a scene if they were captured.

Sadly, they did not expect their enemy to burrow under the ground.

Softly pushing its head out of the sand, the Snake Mech surfaced in a garden behind a small bungalow. Its head came to a rest on the ground, and a sealed door on the side of its neck slid open. Silently, several figures wearing snake masks and face paint slipped out of the door and crept towards the house.

From the looks of the garden, there was a family living there. One with children if the toys scattered throughout the yard was any indication. The disappearance of such was sure to cause an uproar and get several of the villagers scared, and more whispers of the Golden Master were sure to spread.

One of the masked figures tried the door but found it locked. However, looking up, they could see an upstairs window was open and the curtains hanging on it were fluttering in the breeze.

Perfect.

With a quick toss of a rope and grapple, the window was hooked and the intruders began scaling the wall to get inside.

However, just before the leading goon could reach the window sill, a burning flash of light flew through the air and ignited the rope, causing it to snap and the would-be intruders to fall back into the garden with a startled yell.

Looking up, the masked men saw three figures in red, green, and black perched on top of the house, glaring down at them through masks of their own.

"It's the Ninja Force!" one of the men yelled, knowing any chance of subtly was gone.

Without taking his eyes off their opponents, the Green Ninja said, "Kai, signal the soldiers! Cole, block their escape!"

Hearing that, the goons scrambled to get up and flee to their mech, but before they could do so, the ninja in black jumped down from the roof and focused his energy into the ground, causing a large boulder to burst through the sand and block the hatch into the mech.

From the roof, the Fire Ninja raised his hand into the air and sent up a tongue of flame into the night sky, undoubtedly seen by any nearby troops.

With their way out blocked, and the cavalry sure to arrive soon, the masked goons were as backed into a corner as one could get.

And when one is backed into a corner, one tends to get _desperate._

To the ninja's alarm, one of the goons pulled a bomb out of pocket and set it alight, throwing it towards the newly formed boulder.

"Watch out!" Lloyd shouted, and he and the Fire Ninja ducked for cover.

Down below, the door to the house opened, and a Fangpyre came out with a rake in his hands. "Whoever you are!" he shouted. "Get off my prop-!"

But before he could finish, Cole jumped in front of him and formed another boulder to shelter them both as the bomb went off.

The first boulder shattered from the force of the explosion, and flaming chunks of rock were sent flying in every direction.

Including, to the ninja and Fangpyre's horror, straight through the open window and setting the curtains ablaze.

"Poisssinthia!" shouted the Fangpyre in alarm, reaching up towards the window, before running back inside.

The fire in the house was spreading fast and any still inside were in danger, but the bomb had done its work and the hatch to the mech was now open to squeeze through, as several of the masked men were now running to do.

"I'll help the family! You guys stop them!" Lloyd ordered to Kai and Cole.

"Uh, wouldn't it be better if _I-" _Kai said hesitantly, but he wasn't able to get the sentence out before Lloyd swung from the roof past the curtains into the burning room.

Seeing as it was too late to protest, Kai leaped down to join Cole in trying to take out the goons before they could escape.

Even with their elements on their side, there were only two Ninja and more than enough goons to go around. It didn't take long before one of them managed to slip away from the fight and dive inside the mech.

A few seconds later, the Snake Mech surged to life with a loud hiss from its pistons. It's tail burst out of the sand and swung at the Fire and Earth Ninja, sending them scrambling back and allowing the rest of the goons to escape. Once all of them were on board, the Snake Mech reared itself up and dove towards Kai and Cole with its blade-filled mouth open wide.

The two Ninja narrowly avoided being minced as they leaped out of the way. The Snake Mech, however, continued on to burrow into the ground where they once stood and soon vanished back into the earth.

The Serpentine troops they had hailed arrived just in time to see the tip of its mechanical tail vanish from sight.

Cole scrambled to his feet and tried to stomp his foot on the ground to trap it, but stopped at the last second as he realized doing so might level the village.

In the burning building behind them, the Fangpyre with the rake came running back out with a female Venomari, likely his wife, alongside him. Lloyd followed them out a moment later with a small Fangpyre girl held in his arms, his mask wrapped around her head so that she wouldn't inhale the smoke.

"Poisssinthia," the Venomari woman called, reaching for the child in Lloyd's arms.

"Mama!" the child called tearfully, and Lloyd handed her over to her parents as Cole began using the sand as best he could to smother the flames on the house.

The captain of the guard observed the burning house and the two large holes in the garden the Snake Mech had left in its wake, before moving over to speak to Lloyd.

"They were here then, Green Ninja," he said, sounding like he wished it weren't true. "Your prediction wasss correct. How did you know it would come here?"

"We've been trying to track it for days now," Lloyd explained. "Searching for it from the air or with night vision wasn't doing any good, so we thought we'd try searching under the ground. Earth Ninja's mech could use is speakers for a sonar scan of the earth, and we tracked it's movement here."

The captain nodded. "Our sinceressst thanksss, Ninja Force."

"No thanks is necessary," said Lloyd humbly. He then glanced over to the dying flames of the house and rubbed his right arm as his face fell. "Sorry we couldn't stop them."

"You three sssaved my family tonight, green one," said the Fangpyre with a rake, who had dropped said rake and was embracing his family. "You saved my little Poisssinthia. Believe me, our gratitude isss warranted."

"He isss right," agreed the captain as he and his troops went to examine the hole. "We are grateful for your asssissstance."

Lloyd looked flustered, and Kai noticed a red mark on his cheek.

"Hey, wait a minute, were you burned, bro?" the Fire Ninja asked as he hurried over to his best friend to take a closer look

Lloyd blinked and reached up to touch his cheek and winced. "Oh, I guess I was," he said as he pulled out his burn ointment and a bandage. "It's fine, Poisinthia needed the mask more than I did."

Kai let out a frustrated sigh at his friend's lack of self-preservation and took the ointment and bandage from him to apply it. "It might have been better if you let me go in instead. I'm fireproof, you know," he said as he put the bandaid on. Fortunately, from his first aid training in bodyguard lessons, he could tell the burn was minor and likely wouldn't leave a scar.

Behind them, Cole managed to put out the flames with sand and then used his powers to fill some of the holes in the bungalow's walls with stones. "Sorry I can't fix the burns, and your place might be a mess, but at least it's in one piece," he said to the Serpentine family.

"That isss more than we would have had, thank you," said the Venomari mother as the family went back inside.

Before she followed, Poisinthia ran over to give Lloyd back his mask. "Thanksss, Green Ninja," she said with a fanged smile. "When I grow up, I'll bite you ssso I can marry you." She then hugged Lloyd around the middle, before running to join her parents.

Lloyd could only stare after her as he tried to process he'd just been proposed to. By a little Serpentine girl no less.

"You've got a new fan," Kai teased, poking Lloyd in the side.

"Think she can pass the Nya Test?" asked Cole in a teasing tone as he joined them.

"No way," Lloyd said as he shoved his mask back over his head so they wouldn't see him blush.

As happy as he was the little girl admired him, he knew he'd never live this down.

* * *

To say Chen was unhappy to hear of that night's events was a massive understatement.

"They _found _you? How could they possibly find you?" he demanded in outrage. "You've been keeping the mech on burrowing mode to prevent just _that!"_

The trembling goon who had been unfortunate enough to tell him the news stammered. "Th-they d-don't know, sir. They were j-just there when our men t-tried-!"

"SILENCE!" shouted Chen, raising his fist to mash onto his chair's button.

The goon paled at the sight. "M-Master Chen! Please! I wasn't even there! D-Don't shoot the messenger!"

"I don't shoot messengers," said Chen icily. "I _drop_ them."

With that, he slammed his fist on the button, and the goon fell screaming down the trap door.

Once the door swung back shut, Chen slumped in his chair and massaged his forehead. "I'm surrounded by incompetents," he grumbled irritably, before shouting "CLOUSE!"

"Sir, I am right here, you do not have to shout," Clouse said dryly from his position next to Chen's chair.

"Whatever," Chen scoffed. "I volunteer all the men who were in the mech tonight for your new test subjects. Make certain they are suitably punished for failing me."

The grin that spread across Clouse's face could only be described as sinister. "As you wish, Master Chen," he said.

Chen sighed and then straightened in his chair. "With the Ninja Force able to track the mech, it will only be a matter of time before all the Serpentine know it is a ruse, and I'm sure that the king's coming meeting with the Green Ninja and _Her_ will only make it worse. We will need to act quickly."

"Sir, there is little possibility of us completing our plans in the time before the king's meeting with the Green Ninja and his mother," said Clouse, knowing that if he let Chen continue his thoughts he would become unreasonable. "Might I suggest a different method. One that, with the help of our little _friend_, might force the Serpentine King's hand."

Chen turned to scowl at him, his face making it clear that if he didn't like Clouse's suggestion then he'd quickly be joining the messenger through the trap door. The scowl quickly turned to an absolutely gleeful look of manic delight when he heard Clouse's plan.

"Call him!" he said cheerfully. "Get it done."

"Yes, Master Chen," Clouse said and turned to leave.

He'd barely taken a step before Chen shouted, "WAIT!" despite Clouse still being in perfect hearing range.

Rolling his eyes, but not otherwise complaining, Clouse simply turned back around and said, "Yes, sir?"

"We still need to stop the Ninja Force from ruining our plans," Chen said as he schemed. "We need to know if Skylor has become powerful enough to combat them if necessary."

"She claims she has absorbed the powers of all the ninja," said Clouse. "Including, if you are correct, the ability to enhance her own powers from the Green Ninja."

"In _theory!_" Chen growled in frustration. "Most of the information I could find on the power of Green is either stupidly vague or looks like it's been sabotaged. And if _I _can't figure out what the power specifically does, what hope does my daughter have?"

Privately, Clouse thought she had a far greater a chance, but knew to keep that to himself.

"I need to see it," Chen said, sounding like he was beginning to get excited. "I need to know what it does. That way I'll get to watch the delightful show as the Ninja Force realizes their own powers are their undoing."

"Would you like for me to send for Skylor, sir?" asked Clouse. "Have her come and give a demonstration?"

Chen thought about it, before saying, "No. As you said, time is short. It would take too long for her to get here, and then back into position among the Ninja. In that time we could lose valuable information on what they're planning."

He then spun his chair around to face Clouse. "Pack your bags, Clouse. You're going to Ninjago City."

While irked this would pull him away from his experiments (and he'd just gotten new test subjects too), Clouse nodded and said, "As you wish, Master Chen," before turning to leave.

"_AFTER_ YOU CALL THE GUY TO DO THE THING!" Chen reminded him loudly before he even got through the door.

"Of course, sir," said Clouse, rolling his eyes again as he did so.

Sometimes he hated his job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Lloyd has a new fan. Part of this was to show that the Serpentine are just people like the rest of Ninjago, and need the Ninja's help just as much. Fortunately, they were able to help them tonight. Chen didn't get any more prisoners, and he is not happy about it. He's stepping things up even quicker, and likely Skylor will pay the price. Neither of them really know much about the power of Green and how it works, but they do know it can make powers stronger.
> 
> A big thanks to Kay Hau for Beta Reading and contributing to this chapter. Poisinthia was my initial idea, but Kay Hau liked her so much she contributed a lot of ideas for her character. Also, some of Chen's coming plan was from her too.
> 
> Next Time: Nick Jay goes to Movie Ninjago to beg Cyan Nya for the name of her counterpart's perfect match. Meanwhile, Pep Zane and Penny continue to be adorable.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick Jay goes to Movie Ninjago to beg Cyan Nya for the name of her counterpart's perfect match. Meanwhile, Pep Zane and Penny continue to be adorable.

_Movie Ninjago_

Cyan Nya let out a heavy sigh and massaged her forehead in irritation.

The source of her irritation was on his knees in the mech warehouse begging for her help.

"Please, please, please, _please_ tell me who Nya saw on the dating machine thingy," Nick Jay pleaded desperately. "I know she was talking to you before, _please!_ I gotta know! Puh-_leeeease!_"

While he continued a constant mantra of "Please, please, please…" below her, Nya looked up at both of the Coles who were standing just behind him. "Do I _want_ to know why he's here begging?" she asked dryly.

Cliff Cole had the grace to look sheepish. "He thinks if he can kick the butt of our Nya's supposed 'perfect match' he can somehow win her back," he explained. "The only problem is… we don't know who it is."

"_That_ is pretty obvious," Nya replied glancing briefly at the still groveling Jay. She then glanced over at DJ Cole. "So why are you here?"

DJ just rolled his eyes.

* * *

_Ten Minutes Earlier..._

DJ Cole was walking down the street with his headphones on like usual, but not even the music could drown out the enraged cry behind him.

Thanks to _years_ of Nya, Kai and occasionally the rest of the team tackling him in greeting (the twins had been doing it since childhood, and infected everyone else with the method), DJ quickly turned around and caught whoever was launching themself at him.

He was mildly surprised to see that it was Nick Jay and slightly concerned at how red-faced and angry he looked.

"Are you Nya's perfect match?" he asked furiously as he squirmed in DJ's grip.

DJ Cole raised an eyebrow and glanced over at his own counterpart as he hurried over to them, having undoubtedly followed Jay.

Hearing DJ's unspoken question, Cliff quickly explained the situation, and that for some reason Nick Jay had suspected it might be him.

DJ's eyebrows rose even higher when he heard that. "Why would a computer in _your_ world have _my_ name on it?" he asked dryly. "It doesn't even know I exist."

The two dimension-jumping Ninja were silent for a long moment after he pointed it out.

"Oops," Jay muttered weakly.

* * *

_Now_

"... So after that, I brought them here," DJ concluded.

Nya's eyebrow was beginning to twitch in irritation. "Gee, thanks for that," she said sarcastically as Jay _still _begged beneath her.

"Please, please, please, please, please, pleeeeeaaaase!" Jay begged.

"Okay _enough!"_ Nya shouted, finally having enough of the groveling, cutting him off in mid 'please'.

Leveling Jay with a piercing look, she said flatly. "I get that you're sad and hurt Red broke up with you and you want someone to blame, but Red came to me and told me everything in confidence. Do you _really _want me to break her trust?"

For a second Jay looked like he wanted to say yes, but then registered her words and thought better of it at the last minute.

"Because me or Kai telling you what she confided in us will just make her hate all three of us and never trust any of us again," she continued.

Now Jay looked far more chagrined. "Okay," he said meekly. "You don't have to tell me _who_ it is, but could you, like, give me a hint or something? Some sign what I should do? Or what I'm doing wrong?"

Nya gave him an almost evil smirk. Pointing at a nearby couch, she said, "I'll tell you what to do. Sit down."

Realizing her tone was not one to be argued with, Jay immediately did as she said while Nya marched to her storage locker, and came back with a survey and a pencil.

"You want something to do?" she asked as she sat in an armchair across from him, and smacked the paper and pencil onto the coffee table between them. "You're going to take the Nya Test."

Jay looked at her bewildered. "Wha-?" he tried to ask.

"TAKE IT!" Nya snapped.

Jay quickly took the pencil and paper with no further arguments as Nya began asking questions.

DJ and Cliff watched this in bemusement.

"Why are you going along with this anyway?" DJ asked his counterpart as they watched.

Cliff Cole sighed. "I don't know how it is with your Jay, but with _our_ Jay, he's… stubborn. He knows what he wants, and when things go wrong he freaks out. The bigger the wrong the worse the freak-out. Dating Red Nya was, well, everything to him so… yeah… his freak-out is _really_ bad this time."

"And so you're letting him accuse random people of being to blame?" asked DJ with a raised eyebrow.

Cliff sighed and shook his head. "Sorta. I'm here to make sure it doesn't go _too_ far and if we do find the guy and he deserves it, I'll totally help Jay kick his butt, but mostly Jay just needs to get this out of his system so he can move on. I'm just here to help him through it."

DJ stared at him for a long minute, before smiling slightly. "You're a good friend," was all he said.

Cliff beamed in response. He then glanced back at Jay and Nya. "So what's this Nya Test he's taking? Some kind of love test? 'Cause, you know, that's kinda how we got in this mess in the first place."

"Not exactly," DJ replied. "While it can help with romance, it's more of a test of intention. A way to find out what a person wants and why, and if those intentions are good or bad for the people around them." He paused and then smirked. "The others on the team _do_ think it's just a love test, though."

Cliff snickered at that, then asked, "So what's the point of Jay taking it? We know what his intentions are. He wants to date Nya again."

"Yes," said DJ, "but _why_ does he want to date her?"

Cliff shrugged. "Uh, because she's pretty?" he guessed.

DJ gave him a flat look.

Realizing that might not be the best sole reason to date someone, Cliff looked sheepish and said, "Okay, I see your point."

DJ nodded in agreement. "I can't say whether Jay's intentions are right or wrong, but I can say that him coming here to beg our Nya for the guy's name is probably not doing him any favors."

Cliff let out a weak laugh at that. "We didn't come here _just_ for that. Our Lloyd decided he wanted to go with yours to the Serpentine King meeting tomorrow, and we were dropping him off so he can head there with them in the morning. He's off with doing something with Luh-Loyd, Freckles Jay and Buddy Kai right now."

DJ grunted in acknowledgment.

Meanwhile, Jay answered the last question on the survey and handed it to Nya to look over.

Nya scanned the paper carefully, before looking up at Jay. "Well, you failed," she said bluntly.

"What? Why?" asked Jay in disbelief.

Nya sighed. "Your intentions are good, and your feelings for her are real, but… you're not seeing the bigger picture here."

"What bigger picture?" asked Jay, looking bewildered.

"You see my counterpart as this perfect ideal," Nya explained. "She's your ultimate dream girl. In your eyes, she can do no wrong, but that's not true. Right now she's just a mixed-up teenage girl trying to get her head together, and you putting her on a pedestal isn't helping."

"I know she's mixed up!" Jay protested. "I want to help her get _un-_mixed up."

"By picking a fight with her 'perfect match'," Nya asked dryly, shutting Jay up. Nya sighed and added, "That's another thing. You're not respecting her decision. What she needs to get un-mixed up is space to think and consider what _she_ wants in life. She can't do that if you keep pushing for something _you_ want. Chasing her when she doesn't want to be chased is only going to drive her away."

Jay looked horrified at the very idea of that. Then his expression turned defensive. "Oh, what do you know?" he asked dismissively. "It's just another stupid test."

"It's not a stupid test, it's simple logic. I'm not saying you two could never be together," Nya said. "But it has to be a mutual decision, and maybe a little growing up happening first. Right now, it's just not the time."

But Jay wasn't listening anymore if the stubborn expression on his face was anything to go by.

"So," said Nya, hoping he was still taking in what she was saying. "What are you going to do now?"

Jay thought about it for a moment, before declaring, "I'm going to punch the jerk who stole Nya in the face!"

Nya sighed, and both of the Coles groaned. All her advice in one ear and out the other.

Before she could try again, the door to the warehouse opened, and Zane and Penny stepped in. "Hello, fellow teenagers," called Zane as they came closer.

Penny, meanwhile, looked between Cliff Cole and Nick Jay in confusion. "I did not realize there were other Ninja," she said.

Nya and DJ glanced at the dimension travelers and realized Penny's confusion stemmed from the two of them wearing their gis.

"Do you even have other clothes?" Nya had to ask, having never seen them wear anything else.

"Yeah, when we work in the teashop," said Nick Jay, still feeling defensive.

"But those uniforms are too dumb to wear anywhere else," added Cliff Cole.

DJ rolled his eyes and addressed Penny's question. "We're the Ninja that handle things in the city, but there's a whole lot more of Ninjago than just here. These guys handle problems elsewhere," he explained truthfully without giving away the dimensional travel.

Penny looked thoughtful and nodded. "I see, that seems logical."

"So, uh, who's she?" asked Cliff curiously, having never seen Penny before.

Zane smiled. "This is my friend, Penny. Penny, these are Jay and Cole's cousins, Cliff and Nick," he said, pointing to each in turn.

Penny's eyes widened in recognition at the names, and she studied them thoughtfully. "So they are…" she started to say, but seeing Nya shake her head, had her quickly change gears. "I would assume the cousins to each are the ones who resemble each other?" she asked.

"Correct," said Zane.

"Is being a ninja a family affair?" Penny asked.

"Sometimes," replied Zane. "Some families, such as Lloyd's, are composed entirely of ninja, however, as you have seen of mine, only myself and my own cousin are ninja."

"Fascinating, what a coincidence that you all have cousins that are also ninja," said Penny thoughtfully, and the two devolved into a discussion of ninja family trees, seeming to forget the rest were there.

Despite getting her name, Cliff and Jay were still confused. "Who is she?" Cliff whispered to his counterpart and Jay leaned in to listen.

"Zane's soon-to-be girlfriend," DJ replied. "Once she passes the Nya Test, at least."

Cliff and Jay just stared at him, then turned to stare at Zane and Penny. "What about Pixal?" Cliff hissed in bewilderment so as not to be overheard.

Now it was DJ and Nya's turn to look confused. "Who?" they both asked.

Cliff and Jay exchanged a look as they realized the android girl their friend was so hung up on possibly didn't exist here, and in her place, Zane fell for someone else.

"Well, she's definitely cute. Pep's got good taste," said Jay.

Nya gave him a dry look. "You're Jay's counterpart alright," she muttered under her breath.

Zane and Penny seemed to realize they were still there, and Zane said, "Oh, sorry. I wanted to ask if I could show Penny the Ultra Dragon."

Penny nodded eagerly. "I have never seen a real dragon before. I am curious what they are like."

The others exchanged a glance. DJ and Nya mostly looked at Cliff and Jay for the answer, as Ultra was their ride.

"Uh, sure, you can take a look," said Cliff.

"You can go for a ride on them if they'll let you," added Jay, making Cliff turn to look at him in surprise.

Both Zane and Penny lit up at hearing that. "Thank you so much!" said Penny.

"Yolo!" said Zane as he and Penny exited back out of the warehouse to approach the dragon.

The others stared after them.

"Yolo?" asked Jay in bewilderment.

"I'd say we need to cut down on his internet intake, but it's literally inside his head," DJ said while rolling his eyes.

Cliff looked over at Jay. "Why'd you say they could go flying on Ultra? Don't we need to get back soon?"

Jay looked petulant. "Because at least _someone_ should get to have a decent romance around here."

Nya snickered. "That was nice of you. Wanna follow them?" she asked.

The three boys exchanged a glance.

* * *

Outside, Zane was slowly approaching the Ultra Dragon. While the four-headed dragon knew the counterparts in this Ninjago, they still weren't familiar with them aside from Lloyd.

The ice head, Shard, seemed most eager to see him, being the counterpart of his original rider. The other three heads seemed mostly indifferent to their presence, but weren't growling or trying to scare them off, so Zane counted that as a win.

Trying to do what he'd seen Lloyd do when approaching animals, Zane approached slowly and steadily, talking in a low volume as he did so.

While the dragon didn't seem to find him a threat, they didn't seem impressed by him either, and the fire head, Flame, huffed a puff of smoke out of his nostrils in Zane's face.

"Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile," Zane quoted, only to get more smoke blown in his face.

"That's not very nice," said Penny disapprovingly.

Zane blinked his optics, before turning and saying, "Oh, no, it was from a movie. _How to Train Your Dragon_."

"Oh," said Penny in understanding. "I think I have seen that movie. It is still not a nice thing to say, however."

The Ultra Dragon rumbled in agreement.

"I apologize," said Zane, looking sheepish. "I could not resist a good movie quote."

"I'm sure there are nicer movie quotes you can use," Penny said. "Ones that are less likely to get you eaten by a dragon."

"We're ninja, it's an occupational hazard," Zane replied automatically.

Realizing that was another slightly altered quote, Penny couldn't help but giggle.

After a bit more coaxing, the Ultra Dragon allowed them onto their back and took off into the sky.

Unknown to them, Nya's Water Strider Mech slipped into the ocean to follow after them with Nya driving, and Jay crammed in the back. The Coles had bowed out of joining, instead deciding to visit DJ's mother, and trusting Nya to keep Jay in line.

"Is it me, or are they being kind of adorable," said Jay as he watched them interact through the mech's windshield.

"It's not just you," said Nya with a grin.

As they watched, Zane began giving grand gestures at the view around them, and from what the mech could pick up on its sensors… "Is he… _singing?"_ asked Jay incredulously.

"That he is," Nya confirmed. "And based on what I can hear, and what they're doing, I'm guessing the song is _A Whole New World._ Appropriate."

Jay wasn't sure they had that song in his world, or how it was appropriate, but apparently, Penny knew it too, much to Zane's obvious delight. "Aaaand now she's singing too. How are these two so adorable?"

"I dunno, but it's fun to watch," said Nya.

As they continued watching the two sing a duet on the Ultra Dragon, Jay had to ask, "So this Penny girl is taking that test too?"

"Yep," said Nya. "Not that she knows it. It's a precaution I give to all possible dates. Even myself."

Jay blinked, not having expected that. "So why hasn't she passed yet?" he asked. "She seems sweet enough. And those two seem to be hitting it off."

Nya sighed and to delay answering she maneuvered her controls so that they were deep enough underwater to not be spotted while still able to follow.

"She didn't help us," she finally said.

"Help you with what?" said Jay, looking confused.

"With anything," she said. "We had no contact with her until Zane ran into her at school not too long ago."

"So?" asked Jay.

"_So_ even though she's made it clear she didn't believe the rumors, and didn't approve of the bullying, hate, and _everything_ we had to go through before, she still did nothing to help us," Nya explained, feeling a bit frustrated. It was something that had been bothering her since the start of her test. "She didn't have to be our friend back then, she didn't even have to stand up for us and get a target on her back, just a kind word when no one else was around would have been enough. Something to show us that maybe not the _whole_ city thought we were evil, but she just avoided us like everyone else. Getting to know her like I have, I've seen she's a helper. I _know_ she's the type who would have helped us… but she didn't. _Why_ didn't she?"

Jay could only shrug helplessly. He didn't know enough about their world or about Penny to give an answer. "She knows better now. Isn't that enough?" was all he said.

Nya frowned. "Maybe," she said. "I really like Penny, and I know Zane does too, even more than I do. But if she was willing to compromise her own morals before, who's to say that won't happen again? I don't want her to hurt Zane while doing it."

"And that's why we're spying on them on their date," said Jay.

"Technically, it's not a date yet," said Nya, not denying the spying part. "Zane's determined to at least be friends with her first. Whatever develops afterward is up to them."

Jay scoffed. "They're taking a romantic flight on a dragon while singing a love song… and they just think it's a friendly outing?" he asked incredulously.

"Yup. You see what I have to put up with," said Nya with a fond roll of her eyes.

Above them on the Ultra Dragon, Penny and Zane were none the wiser, enjoying the sights of the ocean and beach from a bird's eye view, and pointing out anything they saw that struck their interest while singing Disney songs as loudly as they could to be heard over the wind.

At least, until Penny pointed downwards at a cove just outside the city's limits, hidden from view from anywhere but above. "Oh, isn't that Skylor?" she called.

Zane followed her gaze, and both of their eyes widened in alarm.

"SKYLOR!" they both yelled.

* * *

It was only years of training that kept Skylor from showing how scared she felt.

On the outside, she was the picture of cool professionalism to the circle of goons that had come to help with the observation, but on the inside, she was shaking like a leaf.

Why did it have to be _Clouse_ who observed her newly absorbed powers? The only person worse would be her father herself.

As if in response to her thought, Clouse began setting up a tablet and prepared to video call her father so he could watch as well.

Just _great_.

Them observing her powers and training had always chilled her to the bone, but this time was worse than usual. This time, she hadn't been able to practice beforehand.

One downside of living in the city meant there was no safe space for her to let loose. There were people _everywhere_. It was fine with her martial arts skills, lots of people practiced that, especially with the city attacked so often. No one thought twice of a girl practicing kicks and punches in the park. But elemental powers? Not a chance. The only possible private area she had was her apartment, and it was far too small and rickety to practice elemental abilities in. At most, she'd checked she was even able to summon her newly absorbed elements to her hands just to make sure she had them but hadn't been able to practice fighting with them yet. This would be the first time she'd even tried.

If only she'd known about this cove before. She could have come out here to practice. But now it was a trial by fire, in some cases literally.

The worry that she wouldn't be up to her father's standards, and whatever punishment resulted from that filled her with dread.

She couldn't do this…

"Ready," came a sharp word from Clouse.

Startled, Skylor forced down a wince at his voice. "Almost," she said, trying to delay this as long as possible.

"That wasn't a question," said Clouse as he started up the tablet.

Skylor kept herself composed as the tablet began dialing her father's number.

The tablet answered the call, and she got a very good look at her father's eye as he leaned in far too close to the camera. "_Hello? Can you hear me? Is this thing working?"_ he called through the screen.

"Yes, sir," said Clouse. "We can see you just fine."

"_Good!"_ said Chen as he sat back into his chair, and peered through the screen at Skylor. "_Hello, daughter. Are you excited to show me what you've accomplished?"_

Skylor managed a small nod, careful to keep her face blank and not showing how afraid she was.

"_Well? Get on with it!"_ Chen demanded. "_I don't have all day!"_

Skylor took a deep breath in a vain attempt to calm herself and summoned her first element.

Fire came to her first. Warm, bright, and fierce, just like its original wielder. The barest hint of a smile slipped through Skylors professional mask as the goons took their cue to try and fight her, and she enhanced her own fighting with the flames dancing around her. The burning always brought Kai to the forefront of her mind. How sweet he'd been to her from the start and how he always went out of his way to help her in any way he could.

… And how hurt he would be if he knew who she really was.

At that thought, the fire fizzled out in her hands a moment sooner than she'd wanted as she finished her demonstration.

Fortunately, neither her father or Clouse noticed the mistake, and Skylor knew better than to draw attention to it.

"_It seems you are taking to fire quite well," _said Chen. "_Good, good, but been there, seen that, NEXT!"_

Trying to put the mistake out of her mind and focus on the next task, Skylor turned to the ocean and pulled the sea around herself as she practiced, sweeping away the next wave of attackers. Water: turbulent, cool, and playful, another fitting element for its wielder, as that fit Nya to a T. She was a human hurricane that swept people up and didn't let them go, not that you'd want her to. Despite that, Skylor couldn't help but feel she'd reached the eye of that storm, as Nya herself told her she trusted her. Was willing to confide in her and support her when she needed it.

That trust was sure to break if she learned what Skylor was really up to, and hurricanes could be utterly merciless.

Once again, the element fled her as she finished that thought, splashing the water onto the beach and into the sand instead of back into the sea as she had directed it to do.

Chen frowned at that. "_The ending was sloppy,"_ he said bluntly. "_Not to mention, ALSO something we've seen before. NEXT!"_

Skylor swallowed her dread as she prepared to use the next element and one she had far less experience with.

Attempting to summon ice first, frost began to coat her hands as she tried to freeze the next wave to come crashing to the beach.

However, that didn't happen. Instead, the wave crashed to the shore as it had intended to, and only the only sign of her use of power was that the sea was frigid instead of the usual warm Ninjago waters.

The goons, having not been given the signal to attack, exchanged bewildered glances at the display.

"_What was THAT?"_ demanded her father from the tablet.

"I-I don't know," said Skylor, her eyes growing wide with fear.

In an attempt to save face, Skylor tried to summon ice again. Once again, the frost coated her palms, and she could _feel_ the element inside her, but when she tried to bring it to the surface it would. Not. _Come! _No ice, just frost that seemed to melt quicker the more desperate she became.

"_Why isn't it working?"_ Chen all but growled out as her every attempt proved futile.

"I-I have confirmation that the Ice Ninja is a robot," Skylor said, desperately pulling at the only explanation she could think of at the moment. "Maybe that somehow disrupted my ability to absorb his element. I've never tried to copy from a robot before. Maybe I needed to hold on longer for him."

Clouse looked interested to hear that (oh no, she hated what that might mean for Zane), but Chen just sneered. "_Well then, next time you see it you had better make sure you absorb its power fully,"_ he said. "_I don't care if you have to hang off it like a monkey. Get it __**done!**_"

Skylor had to bite her tongue to keep herself from protesting Zane was a 'him' not an 'it', but she knew it would do no good.

"_NEXT!"_ shouted her father impatiently, not happy that one of the elements was now off the table.

Choosing to try earth next, Skylor forced down her worry and focused, calling small grains of sand to swirl around her hands. She then stomped her foot as she'd seen Cole do to try and summon a tremor and knock her attackers off their feet.

But all she did was bury her leg in the sand up to her knee, making the attacking goons stop and stare.

Stumbling back to pull her leg free, Skylor tried again. Tried to shake the earth, pull rocks from below, move the sand, _anything_ to meet her father's standards.

But at most her feet sunk into the sand again, and a few grains swirled around the beach.

"_Oh, I don't suppose the Master of Earth is a robot too?"_ asked Chen sarcastically, not looking impressed.

Knowing any protest would only make things worse, Skylor instead quickly tried for lightning.

Just as before, she could summon small bolts to her hands, but if she tried for anything bigger it just wouldn't happen. When she touched her father's nearest goon, it became clear the weak sparks she was calling wouldn't even cut it as a taser, much less a fearsome elemental force.

It was everything she'd feared would happen. She couldn't do this!

Alarm growing and desperate to do something _right_, Skylor began trying to summon the elements, any element, into a blast, but nothing happened, including, much to horror, no fire or water as she'd used before, as if those elements were slipping away from her too.

Needless to say, her father was _not_ happy.

"_WHAT was THAT?" _he snarled.

"I don't know!" Skylor said, fighting to keep her fear from her voice, but her professional mask was clearly beginning to crack. "I touched them! I absorbed their powers! I know I did!"

"Fascinating," said Clouse, who had been quiet during her entire demonstration, and now she did _not_ like the way he was now looking at her. Like she was a bug in a jar to be studied. "It seems your powers are growing weaker."

"_It should be the OPPOSITE!"_ snapped Chen. "_With absorbing the power of Green you should…"_ he trailed off as something seemed to occur to him. "_That must be it. Green! You're using it wrong."_

"What?" asked Skylor in bewilderment.

But Clouse nodded. "That would be logical," he said. "If the power of Green is truly able to increase one's elemental abilities, then it stands to reason that using it improperly would have the opposite effect."

"_So because of my daughter's incompetence she has actually made herself __**weaker**_ _when she is supposed to be __**stronger!"**_ said Chen.

"No, I-" Skylor tried to say, but they weren't listening to her.

"_Daughter," _said Chen. "_You WILL figure out how to use Green properly and stop being so __**useless**__. And to make sure you learn your lesson… CLOUSE!"_

Skylor paled and stepped back, but before she could try to run (not that she could have gotten away), her father's goons grabbed her arms to keep her still.

Skylor opened her mouth to protest, negotiate, beg, promise she would do better, but before she could say anything Clouse closed in on her and jabbed a needle into her neck.

The chemical burned as it entered her bloodstream, and not in the warm way Kai's fire burned. It was painfully familiar, and Skylor was unsurprised when she felt her entire body go limp, and only being held up by the goons' arms.

"Water seems to be unaffected by your power loss," Clouse said as he got even closer, having not realized it too had failed to come at the end. "I have often wondered if a Master of Water can breathe beneath it."

Clouse then grabbed her by her hair, and yanked her out of the goons grip and began dragging her towards the ocean.

Skylor felt her insides freeze in panic. Suddenly she was beginning to understand Kai's fear of it.

Despite knowing the drug would keep her from making a sound, Skylor tried to force her mouth to say _something,_ but it was no use.

Then, a pair of voices from above cried out in alarm.

"SKYLOR!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny how Nick Jay suspected DJ Cole of being Nya's perfect match, but the thought of Cliff Cole being it hasn't even crossed his mind. But yeah, Jay is on a manhunt to find this mysterious Perfect Match, even if he has to interrogate every boy on Ninjago, with Cliff Cole being brought along for the ride. Thankfully, because of DJ Cole's rebuttal, everyone on Movie Ninjago is safe, but as for Show Ninjago... not so much. Anywho, we finally get more of an explanation of the Nya Test. Like DJ said, it's not really a love test, but rather Nya investigates what people who want into their group want and why they want it. If those intentions are good and won't hurt her friends, she gives the okay and lets it happen, if not, that person is kicked to the curb. We also see why Penny hasn't passed already, despite clearly being a good and sweet person. Until Nya finds out why she acted the way she did during their time as the most hated kids in Ninjago, Penny won't pass. And while we know Penny did that to avoid drawing attention to herself, and by extension Borg, Nya doesn't, so as far as she knows, Penny ignored their injustice for no good reason. Meanwhile, poor Skylor, she is not having a good time. They were right that the problem with her powers lies in Green. Remember, the version of Green in my stories works through the combined power of connection and belief. Skylor's only really any good with fire and water because Kai and Nya are the two she's closest friends with at this point, and her powers falter every time she loses confidence in herself and thinks of how she's going to lose their friendship when they find out the truth. Her losing that confidence has a spiraling effect of causing herself to doubt herself more and more, making her powers weaker and weaker, and Chen and Clouse being awful does not at all help with that. Good thing her friends are coming to her rescue.
> 
> Show: Nick Jay, Cliff Cole, Red Nya, Zen Zane, Lil'Loyd, Spike Kai
> 
> Movie: Freckles Jay, DJ Cole, Cyan Nya, Pep Zane, Luh-Loyd, Buddy Kai
> 
> Massive thanks to Kay Hau for so much help this chapter. Nick Jay suspecting DJ Cole was her idea, and the mention of DJ being used to being tackled is her idea too, and a reference to her awesome Greener Gift-Fics chapter, Free Tackles https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13381156/2/Greener-Gift-fics. Check it out, I highly recommend it and the rest of her works. Also, Jay's motivations to get Red Nya back, Nya's frustration over the mystery of Penny, and the effect Green has on Skylor's powers all wouldn't have been possible without our discussions fleshing them out, and I am very grateful for that.
> 
> Next Time: Seeing Skylor in danger, Pep Zane, Penny, Nya and Jay spring into action to rescue her. Meanwhile, in Show Ninjago, Pixal ponders why Zen Zane rescued her.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seeing Skylor in danger, Pep Zane, Penny, Nya and Jay spring into action to rescue her. Meanwhile, in Show Ninjago, Pixal ponders why Zen Zane rescued her.

_Movie Ninjago_

When they saw the Ultra Dragon suddenly pull into a sharp dive, Nya immediately knew something had to be wrong.

Already turning her mech in the same direction, she turned on her radio and said into it, "Zane, I'm patrolling off the coast. I just saw you make a dive, is something wrong?"

Zane's response was immediate. "_Attack on the beach! In a hidden cove!"_ he said.

Then his next words chilled her to the bone. "_They have Skylor!"_

Nya had never made her mech go faster, using her own powers to propel them even past full throttle.

"Get your hood on," Nya said, not caring she herself was out of uniform.

Behind her, Jay complied, reaching around his back to get his nunchucks ready as well.

The Water-Strider Mech leaped out of the water to see the Ultra Dragon hovering in the air over the cove, Zane and all four heads blasting at several men with their elements, who were trying the best to dodge. One of them, a dark-haired man in a lab coat, threw a figure into the sand before darting towards the vehicles with far too many blades sticking out of them the bad guys had apparently arrived there in.

As for the thrown figure now sprawled in the sand, it only took a glance at the dark red hair for Nya to know that was Skylor, and the lifeless way she now lay filled the Water Ninja with dread.

Then rage coursed through her, and while she'd normally not go after people in her mech if they didn't have a vehicle too, these jerks hurt her friend. It. Was. _On!_

And she made that very clear by having one of her mech's legs punt the closest goon into the ocean.

"Let me out," said Jay. "I'll start beating them back so Ultra can land."

"You got it," said Nya, opening the hatch of her mech, allowing Jay to leap out.

His feet barely touched the ground before he was whirling in his electrified spinjitzu tornado, picking up bad guys and flinging them every which way.

With the beach rapidly clearing, the Ultra Dragon finally had enough space to touch down in the surf, and Penny leaped from the dragon the moment it did to race across the sand, scoop up Skylor, and carry her to safety between Nya's mech and the dragon, which both lowered to crouch protectively over them and Zane and Jay helped Ultra provide cover fire (and other elements) to keep anyone from stopping her.

Nya was just about to jump out of her mech when a loud whirring sound caught her attention.

Looking up, she had to stare as where a set of bladed vehicles ones stood, a mech was now rising up and swinging its blades in a saw-like motion as it stomped towards them.

Realizing what that meant, Nya called over the radio, "That man! The one who had Skylor! He must be a Master Builder!"

Jay, who was now backing away from the encroaching mech, said, "_Oh, just __**great!**_ _Another awesome power used for evil."_

"_Well, if there is anything battling Garmadon has taught us, it is how to smash a mech,"_ said Zane from atop the Ultra Dragon, urging the dragon forward, for once too serious to even attempt a meme or movie quote. "_Nick, do me a favor and protect the girls while Nya and I deal with this."_

"_No arguments here,"_ said Jay as he backed towards where Penny was holding Skylor protectively. Once he was defensively between them and the mech, Nya brought hers upright again and stepped over them to fight.

The enemy mech was clearly a rush job. Its movements were jerky and its steps were uneven. Still, it was big, heavy, and sharp, and none of the Ninja wanted it anywhere near the girls.

The mech twitched and jerked in place for a moment as if considering them, before breaking into a shambling run in their direction.

Getting hit with four dragon breaths, three Ninja elemental blasts, and one swift kick from Nya's mech, and the thing collapsed into pieces on the sand, still twitching.

Sadly, while it didn't put up much of a fight, the mech served its purpose, as when the three Ninja looked around they realized the men, including the one who built it, had all fled.

Nya leaped out of her mech, and Zane jumped down from the Ultra Dragon to run to the others.

Jay was already crouched next to Penny to look at Skylor, but they glanced up when they approached.

Penny, who had the redhead cradled in her arms, seemed unable to speak with worry, and Jay was wringing his hands in equal concern.

"I don't know what's wrong with her," he said. "She doesn't seem hurt, but…" he waved his hand helplessly at Skylor, and they could all see the reason for his distress.

While Skylor seemed conscious, her eyes had a glazed look to them, and her body was completely limp aside from the occasional convulsive twitch. If it weren't for her shallow breathing and blinking every now and then, they would have thought she was dead.

Without being asked, Zane, crouched down activated his health scan, sweeping it over Skylor's body and studying the readings.

"She seems to have some kind of drug in her system, likely induced through the injection wound in her neck. I am unsure what the drug is composed of, but my readings show it is temporary," he said.

Penny let out a sigh of relief and hugged Skylor's limp form closer to her. "Do you know when it will wear off?" she asked.

His eyes still glowing with his health scan, Zane glanced up at her and said, "Possibly an hour or…" he trailed off and his eyes widened as his scan registered Penny as well, and he was floored at what the readings said.

Not realizing what had happened, and worrying he had stopped because of something wrong with Skylor, Penny said, "Zane? What is it? What's wrong?"

Zane quickly shook his head. "No, nothing," he said, quickly turning off his scanner. "She will recover shortly. We should take her someplace safe and keep her warm until she does."

"Let's get her into my mech," said Nya. "Nick can keep her steady in the back while you guys ride back on Ultra."

"If it is not too much trouble," said Penny, her expression still pinched in concern. "May I be the one who rides with Skylor? She is my friend. I want to see for myself that she comes to no harm."

Nya glanced at Jay, who shrugged. "That's fine," she said.

"Guess I'm riding with you, Pep," said Nick patting Zane on the shoulder.

Zane jerked distractedly before nodding. "Yes, right," he said, quickly reaching down to help lift Skylor up. "We should get off this beach. Those men might come back."

Chalking up Zane's strange behavior as worry, Nya simply snarled, "Not if they know what's good for them."

They carefully put Skylor and Penny into the back of Nya's mech, and she drove with far more care than usual back to the warehouse, Zane, and Jay flying behind her on Ultra.

Huddled behind Nya, Penny did her best to keep Skylor comfortable on the trip back, though it was difficult to tell how successful she was with how limp her friend was.

Her friend was hurt in front of her, and she could do so little about it… Just run and hide while the others fought.

She held Skylor gently but firmly as Nya drove them through a rough current, and made a small promise to herself.

These friends were dear to her. Some way, somehow, she would find a way to protect them.

* * *

_Show Ninjago_

Why did he protect her?

It was something that was weighing heavily on Pixal's thoughts

The White Ninja.

The Master of Ice.

Zane.

He was outdated but important. His elemental power made him irreplaceable. So much so that they were seeking to improve his mechanics rather than build a new Zane to take his place when he became obsolete.

And yet, despite being such an important android (or nindroid, as he preferred to be called), he had still risked his life to save her.

It made no sense.

Should anything happen to him, the element of ice would be lost forever. She, however, was merely an assistant android. Easily replaced. She was not worth risking one of the Four Elements of Creation for by spades. The logical thing for him to have done was to let her be crushed to keep himself safe, use his abilities to make that ice pillar to attempt to save her at maximum but to do any more would be a foolish and unnecessary risk.

And yet… it was a risk he took…

And all for _her!_

_Why?_

Trying to decipher this puzzle would not leave Pixal's mind.

Much to her irritation at herself, this constant contemplation caused her to be distracted and make mistakes in her assistant duties that day. Something she had never done before, as she prided herself on efficiency.

Needless to say, her distraction was noticed, and she soon found herself being called to Cyrus Borg's office at the end of the day as the rest of the workers left.

Expecting him to be angry or disappointed with her, Pixal was surprised to instead see him wheel over to her with concern evident on his face.

"Pixal, are you alright? You have been making errors that are so unlike you. You weren't hurt during the accident yesterday, were you?" he asked in a worried tone.

Pixal blinked her optics at him as she tried to think of an answer. "No," she finally said. "I am undamaged."

"Then what seems to be the problem?" asked Borg.

Pixal hesitated. Should she really be bothering her creator with such trivial matters?

As if reading her mind, Borg said, "You can tell me anything, Pixal. I created you, and know you better than anyone. I'd be happy to listen to whatever you feel is wrong."

Well, if he was sure…

"I am… confused," she confessed. "Yesterday, Zane saved my life, even though doing so would put himself at risk. I cannot understand why he would do such."

Borg stared at her as if he couldn't understand why she was confused. "Why wouldn't he?" he asked.

"With his elemental abilities, he is important. However, I am not important," she replied, making Borg jolt in shock. "You created me and gave me life. If something should happen to me, you could do so again with a newer model."

Borg looked at her like she'd just slapped him across the face.

"Oh, Pixal," he said, trying to find the words. "I- you-... I never wanted you to feel like this."

"Like what?" asked Pixal, even more bewildered than before.

"Like you are _replaceable,"_ he said earnestly. "Because you most certainly are _not."_

Pixal blinked at him in confusion. "Was I made with some rare component I was not aware of?" she asked.

Borg let out a sound like steam escaping a tea kettle, and buried his face into his hands.

"Cyrus?" she asked, growing concerned for his reactions. Perhaps it would have been better if she'd never said anything.

"Pixal," he said, looking back up at her and his voice very serious. "When I say you are not replaceable, I do not mean your body. I mean _you_ are not replaceable. Yes, I could build another assistant android, but I wouldn't because he or she would not be _you!"_

Pixal stared at him. "I do not understand."

Borg sighed. "Think about it this way. You have met both Zane and Echo now. Two Nindroids of a similar design and built by the same man. Disregarding their mechanics and parts. If you were to talk to them without ever seeing them, would you say Zane is the same as Echo? Or that Echo is an exact copy of Zane?"

Pixal shook her head. "No," she said. "They are quite different. Echo is very shy and seems a bit immature, while Zane is calmer, kind and seems very friendly."

"And if he were able to pass on his powers if something were to happen to Zane, do you think Echo could take his place? Do you think the rest of the Ninja would accept him as the 'New Zane' and carry on as such?" asked Borg.

Pixal frowned thoughtfully, before shaking her head. "No, I do not believe so. From what I have seen of the Ninja during their visit, they treat the two very different, and are very fond of both, but in different ways. Even Dr. Julien treated them differently, caring for both of them, but not as if they were the same droid."

"And what about you?" asked Borg. "Would _you _accept him as a replacement for the Nindroid who saved your life?"

Pixal's frown deepened as she tried to picture timid little Echo built with better parts jumping to save her from the falling screen and saying such sweet things so earnestly to her. She found it was not something she could visualize, nor did she want to. Echo seemed nice, but he wasn't _Zane._ "No," she replied again. "I would not want him in Zane's place."

"Echo can not replace Zane, and the same would hold true the other way around, and Zane could not replace Echo should something happen to him," said Borg, he then looked at her firmly. "So why would you believe that I could replace _you_ so easily, Pixal?"

Pixal felt something inside her warm at the words.

"The answer is, I cannot," said Borg, pulling up Pixal's blueprints on his screens for her to see. "I may have used these plans to bring you to life, but now that you are here, your life is your own. Your opinion matters and I _want_ you to do things that will make _you_ happy."

The warm feeling grew as she looked over the work he had put into her. "You… really want that for me?" she asked.

"Of course," he said. "It's what any parent would want."

If Pixal could blush, she would. A parent! He saw himself as… her father! She'd had no idea…

"As for Zane," continued Borg. "I would imagine he saved you because he cares for you. He's made it clear from the start he wishes to get to know you better. He sees _you_ as a person worth knowing."

Pixal turned away to hide the pleased smile on her face.

"Isss that ssso?" came a hissing voice behind her.

The voice was like a bucket of ice water onto both of them, and that was the only warning Pixal got before she felt something long, strong, and invisible coiling around her legs and a floating blow torch suddenly flew up to her face.

"PIXAL!" cried Cyrus Borg. He grabbed the wheels of his chair and tried to push himself forward, but stopped as the blowtorch turned on and was held ready to burn Pixal's face at the slightest movement.

Pixal was too frightened to move as her attacker shimmered into view.

A Serpentine, an albino Anacondrai if she was not mistaken, glared past her at Borg with a mad glint in his eyes.

"If she is ssso dear to you _and_ the Ninja, then you wouldn't be opposssed to doing me a little _favor_ to sssave her pretty metal ssskin," said the Anacondrai.

"Please, don't hurt her," said Borg desperately.

"Then do as I sssay," hissed the Anacondrai.

Borg kept glancing between Pixal and the blowtorch, and asked, "What? What do you want?"

"I want a weapon," the snake answered. "No, an _army!_ SSSomething to take revenge on the ninja for doing thisss to me."

Pixal risked a glance over her shoulder at her captor, and from what she could see, there didn't appear to be anything wrong with him.

Her creator seemed to agree. "Do what?" he asked before realizing that was probably a bad idea.

The Anacondrai glowered at him. "Are you blind? Look at me! My complexion isss ruined! All because thossse horrid ninja fed me to the Great Devourer."

Pixal blinked as it finally clicked who was holding her captive. "You are Pythor!" she said. "The Serpentine who released the Great Devourer." And in her opinion, only caused himself to be eaten by it rather than the Ninja.

Pythor gave a nasty grin. "SSSo you've heard of me," he said teasing the blowtorch closer to her. "Good, good. Then you know there isss nothing I wouldn't do to get what I want."

"But an army?" asked Borg, floundering for some way out of this without either of them getting hurt. "How would I even begin to give you that? There's just no way-"

"Oh, isssn't there," said Pythor with a nasty grin. "I ssseem to recall the Ninja coming recently for repairesss for their metallic membersss. You have the meansss to create more, and thisss time make them loyal to _me!_"

Cyrus Borg paled beneath his glasses. "N-No, I don't!" he said. "Dr. Julien took the plans with him when he left! We only used paper copies due to his… illness. They are not my designs, I _don't_ have them on file!"

Pythor, clearly not liking that answer, snarled and slithering closer to Borg while dragging Pixal along with him.

Realizing what he might do to him, Pixal blurted out, "_I _have them!"

Pythor froze, and Borg looked at her in dismay.

"Oh, do you?" the snake asked, once again focusing his gaze and blowtorch on her.

"I-I scanned Zane when he entered Borg Tower the first time," Pixal explained, desperate to keep his attention on her and not on her creator… no, her father. "I know how to make more Nindroids."

The nasty grin that spread across Pythor's face would give her nightmares if she were able to dream. He then threw her forwards onto the ground.

Pixal scrambled to get back to her feet, but by the time she did, Pythor had already darted over to Borg and was holding him at blowtorch-point instead.

"Do it!" he hissed. "Or you'll find yourssself a little orphan android."

Feeling there was no other choice, Pixal tensely walked towards the computer terminal and brought up the security feed of the factory downstairs, and the necessary program to input in commands for it to begin building.

Plugging herself into the computer, Pixal prepared to upload her scan of Zane's mechanics before something else caught her eye.

It was her own blueprints. The ones Borg had brought up to show her. Ones he'd created based on Dr. Julien's work.

Suddenly, an idea formed in her mind. It was risky, but if she did it right…

Taking her own plans, she used the outer parts Zane's to modify them just a bit. Making the final results male in shape, dressed in ninja garb, more equipped for fighting than office work, and (at Pythor's insistence) unyieldingly loyal to the malicious Serpentine.

… And housing one specific flaw that Dr. Julien's Nindroids did not have.

Finishing her modifications, Pixal sent the results down to the factory, and they all watched on the screen as the machines came to life.

One by one, they built ninja-like androids. Sinister looking things with glowing red eyes and a variety of deadly weapons.

The menacing smile on Pythor's face grew as he slithered away from Borg to get a closer look at the screen. "Excellent!" he crowed as he watched his army grow in numbers. "Thossse ninja won't know what'sss coming for them. Revenge will be _mine!"_

As he began laughing maniacally at his coming victory, Pixal took his distraction as an opportunity to slip around him and make a run for her father.

If she could reach him, she could get him out of there, and then-

A long tail slammed into her side just as she came within inches of her father's wheelchair. The force of the blow was enough to send Pixal crashing through the window and falling with a rain of glass out of the current top floor of the building.

"PIXAL!" shouted her father, reaching after her, but before he could move his chair, Pythor was on him again, keeping him still.

Pixal, meanwhile, had to take a moment for the static in her head to clear, but once she registered she was falling, she acted.

Activating the grapple within her wrist, she shot it at a nearby building and hooked it onto a ledge. She then used the momentum to shift her fall into a swing, before landing safely on her feet on the street below (screaming all the way, not that she'd admit that later).

Looking back at the building that was her home, she saw Pythor looking down at her from the broken window. He sneered and turned his back on her, clearly not seeing her as a threat.

And he was right. By now, the building would be crawling with his new army of evil Nindroids. There was no hope for her to be able to fight her way through them and save her father.

But she knew those who could.

With that thought, she turned and began racing down the street, trying her best to make it look like she was running away in fright, rather than a destination with a plan.

She just hoped by the time she reached them it was not too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are coming to a head in both worlds now. At least Skylor's away from her abusers for now, but whether or not she tells the truth of her situation depends on if she thinks it's safe to do so. Given what she's suffered at the hands of Chen and Clouse, she's been convinced there's no stopping them. Penny, meanwhile, comes to realize she wants to do more to help than just stand on the sidelines, so we'll see where that goes. As such, she doesn't notice how Zane is now reeling from his accidental scan of her. In the show-verse, Pixal is puzzling out why Zane risked his life for her, and Borg is able to give her at least some of that talk the Juliens realized she needed to hear. Too bad it got interrupted like it did. Kudos to EMPFangirl02 for being able to guess that the saboteur in the Show world was Pythor, and now he has an army. Still, if it wasn't clear, these aren't quite the Nindroids from the show, as they were made with Pixal's blueprints, not Zane's. Still, they outnumber the Ninja by a lot, and Pythor is not afraid to fight dirty. Taking them down won't be easy, but don't worry, Pixal has a plan. Does anyone have a guess what the flaw she mentioned is?
> 
> Massive thanks as ever to Kay Hau who was a big help in writing this chapter. Much of what came from Pixal and Borg's conversation was from her or things we'd discussed, and she was a big help in editing some mistakes I made. It was also partly her idea for Zane to accidentally scan Penny and come to a few realizations.
> 
> Next Time: The Ninja Force regroups after the attack on the beach, and Skylor is faced with a difficult decision. How much of the truth should she tell?


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ninja Force regroups after the attack on the beach, and Skylor is faced with a difficult decision. How much of the truth should she tell?

_Movie Ninjago_

"Soooo, who is this girl we saved? You seem to know her," asked Nick Jay as Nya and Penny gently carried Skylor to the couch in the warehouse to rest on, having arrived there safely.

"She is Kai's 'gf'," said Penny, sharing a worried but mischievous glance with Nya.

Jay's jaw dropped, and he squawked out a, "_What?"_

"Or, she will be after one of them finally admits it," said Nya. "Well, that and _other_ things."

From the pointed glance she sent his way at that, Jay got the feeling this girl was another unknowing participant of Nya's test.

As if to prove the girls' point, Kai chose that moment to burst in with a shout of "SKYLOR!" followed soon after by the rest of the Ninja Force, Cliff Cole and Lil'Loyd.

Running to her side, Kai looked down at her, but she had passed out on the ride there and gave no response. If they didn't know there was a drug in her system, they'd think she was sleeping peacefully.

Looking desperately over at Zane, he asked, "Will she be alright?"

Zane jolted at the question (he'd oddly been distracted since the beach), but then his eyes flashed white as he gazed at her. "Yes, the drug is almost out of her system, and she will likely wake up soon."

Kai let out a sigh of relief, before sitting in a nearby chair, looking ready to keep vigil until she did.

Luh-Loyd, meanwhile, had a frown on his face. "What happened to her? Who did this?"

Nya, Zane, and Nick exchanged glances and shrugged. "Some rogue Master Builder guy in a lab coat and his buddies," said Nya.

"But how did they get her out there in the first place?" asked Freckles Jay worriedly.

Penny, who had been adjusting Skylor on the couch so she was more comfortable, accidentally caused her phone to fall out of her pocket. Reaching down to retrieve it, she gasped as the screen lit up.

Holding it out for the others to see, they saw a bubble in the notifications bar saying '_Meet at this location for tests.'_ with a map link attached leading to the very cove they'd saved her from. But what was most alarming about the notification was the name of the sender.

_Father._

Nya's expression darkened immensely. "So we were right."

"Right about what?" asked Cliff Cole, looking utterly lost, as did Lil'Loyd. Nick Jay and Penny didn't look much better despite being there for part of it. "What's going on? Who is she?"

The Ninja Force looked at their leader to break the news and Luh-Loyd sighed. "Lil'... Montgomery, Cliff, Nick, I'd like to introduce you to Skylor (though I wish it was under better circumstances), she's a friend from school. For the last few days, we've… been suspecting that she's been abused."

Penny let out a horrified gasp, Lil'Loyd looked stricken, and both Nick and Cliff's expressions turned sympathetic.

"How did you know?" asked Penny. "How long have you suspected?"

"Since her birthday party. But we didn't know for sure until now," said DJ.

"It was small things at first that just added up when we compared notes," said Nya. "Kai noticed she had a hand-shaped bruise when they were playing laser tag."

"When they mentioned it to me, I ran a health scan," said Zane, looking guilty. "From what I've seen, she has had a history of multiple injuries throughout her life. Either she has been very accident-prone or someone caused them."

"Health scan? You can do that?" asked Lil'Loyd.

"It's when his eyes went white," Nick whispered to him.

"There were also some things she said during the party," said Luh-Loyd. "Like how she'd never had a birthday party before, how cagey she was when talking about her family. And what she said when I was talking about my family adopting kids."

"'It must be nice to have a family that chooses to love you,'" Penny quoted, remembering that conversation. Those words hadn't sat well with her either.

"And when I got a smoothie spilled on my scarf, Cole and I overheard her talking on the phone while we were waiting for the bathroom," said Freckles. "She was talking to her father and she sounded _super _creepy. Like she was trying to be emotionless but she was still really scared."

"Putting all of that together, it didn't paint a very good picture," concluded Luh-Loyd.

"I'll say," said Cliff.

"But it was all circumstantial," said Nya. "Even if we could prove someone was hurting her, we couldn't prove _who. _And she always dodged the question when we hinted at it."

Penny nodded in understanding. "Legally, there was little you could do."

"That doesn't matter! We should have gotten her away from him sooner," said Kai, anger, and regret clear in his voice. "We should have helped her as soon as we suspected anything."

Luh-Loyd sent him a glance that was a mix of pity and guilt. "You're right. We should have listened to you Kai. Sorry."

Kai let out a frustrated huff. "She was living away from home, and we thought she'd be safe from him. We didn't know he'd call her out and do something like that," he said glancing at Luh-Loyd and his sister. "I follow your lead, I always will."

The way he said it made it clear he didn't blame them, and somehow that just made the guilt worse.

"So what'll you do now?" asked Cliff Cole.

Luh-Loyd glanced at the sleeping redhead. "For now, we'll report what happened to the Ninjago Police. Have them keep a lookout in case her father comes back. When Skylor wakes up she might be able to tell us more, and we'll work to keep her safe."

"Her apartment might not be safe now," said Freckles worriedly. "I bet he knows where it is and is angry at her for what happened."

"She can stay at our place," said Nya resolutely. "Our parents won't mind, and she'll have two bodyguards to keep him off her trail."

At her words, she saw Kai's shoulders lift a little as if a weight had been taken off them.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Nick. Having helped save the girl at the beach, he now felt invested in the drama.

"Not at the moment," said DJ with a knowing glance.

"It's all local stuff," agreed Freckles. "There's not much you can do."

"We'll let you know if we're gonna have a manhunt for the jerk who did this if you're interested," said Kai dangerously. "But you'll have to get in line."

Cliff grinned. "Count on it. We're always ready to rumble."

They talked a little longer after that before Nick and Cliff reluctantly realized it was time to go. Kai pulled away from Skylor's side to talk to them briefly as they prepared the Ultra Dragon for travel, before resuming his vigil on Skylor.

At the last second, before they took off, the two dimension-traveling Ninja heard a shout, "Wait!"

They looked back to see Zane hurrying towards them.

"What's up, Pep?" asked Cliff curiously. It hadn't escaped his notice that the usually perky nindroid have been very subdued since the beach incident, and not at all like his nickname would suggest.

"I would like to go with you," Zane replied, still looking troubled. "There is something I feel I require Zen's advice about. Would that be agreeable?"

There was enough space on Ultra for one more, especially with Lil'Loyd remaining behind, so Nick scooched over to make room. "Hop on," he said.

Zane flashed them a grateful smile before climbing up behind them, and the Ultra Dragon was through a portal a moment later.

* * *

Skylor squeezed her eyes shut as the numbness receded and feeling finally began returning to her body.

Well used to the hated feeling, Skylor slowly began flexing her fingers and toes, knowing she had to start small then work her way up to the rest of her mobility, otherwise moving would make her dizzy and cause her to pass out again.

However, given how her friends had taken her to the mech warehouse and had been watching her like a hawk, even that little bit of motion was noticed.

"SKYLOR!" was the _very_ loud response from the entire Ninja Force and Penny, with her and the twins being especially loud.

Even though her tongue still felt like lead, she forced herself to say, "Gib 'e a min't. Can' oove 'ust 'et."

Hearing that, they pulled back and waited, allowing Skylor to slowly bring life back to her limbs.

When she finally stood up from the couch she'd been laying on and finished rotating her shoulders (the last exercise needed), Nya came and stood in front of her. "Are you okay now?" she asked worriedly.

Skylor managed a small smile and a nod. She'd be fine after this.

"Good," Nya replied. And then she tackled the redhead back onto the couch.

"Oof!" grunted Skylor as she found herself sprawled there once again. The tackle wasn't rough and didn't hurt, but it sure took her by surprise.

The second Nya was off her, Kai was at her side and pulling her into a gentle but firm hug.

"I was so scared when the others said you were hurt," he said into Skylor's ear, and she became aware he was trembling slightly in his seat next to her on the couch. "Are you really alright?"

Skylor was once again struck by how warm and safe his hugs felt, and had to take a moment to collect herself and answer. "Yes, I'm fine now. I know how to-" she broke herself off when she realized what she was about to say.

But Penny heard it anyway. "You know how to recover from that drug, don't you?" she asked. "You've been given it before."

There was a beat of silence before the _entire_ Ninja Force present, including Lloyd's little brother, went into an uproar.

Realizing she'd said too much, Skylor shut her mouth with an audible click, and tried to look anywhere but at them.

She didn't have to. It was clear they all drew their own conclusions.

"That man they said attacked you… he was your father, wasn't he?" said Cole.

Skylor tensed. They thought _Clouse _was her father? _EW!_ Still, it wasn't like she could tell them who her real father was.

Taking her reaction as a yes, Lloyd spoke up. "Skylor… we know," he said in a decisive tone.

Skylor whipped around to stare at him in shock. How? What did they know? Had she been found out?

"We know your father has been hurting you," Lloyd continued. "And he's been doing it for a long time."

Skylor stared at him, unsure if she should be relieved or horrified. On one hand, they hadn't found out who she really was, and she could still do her job. On the other hand, they now thought she was an abuse victim and that… that could complicate things.

Still, they had given her a ready-made excuse to hide the truth, and now all she had to do was play the part.

It's not like it would be hard.

"He-he's not…" Skylor said softly, letting the fear she'd been feeling finally show on her face. "I-It was just a test."

"You don't have to hide it," Jay, his expression empathetic. "We figured it out before, but we thought you'd be safe."

"We didn't want to put you on the spot, and have you tell us yourself," said Nya softly. "But now…"

Skylor didn't need to fake the wince that crossed her face. "I… there was nothing you could do," she said. Her expression darkened, and she said honestly, "My father _always_ gets what he wants. It's best to just give it to him because there's no stopping him."

Kai, who was still next to her on the couch, reached over to gently grab her shoulders and make her look at him. "Not if what he wants is to hurt _you!"_ he said firmly. "I don't care if he's the First Spinjitzu Master himself, I won't let that happen again!"

The rest of the Ninja Force voiced their agreement (though for some reason, Lloyd and his little brother traded an amused glance at the mention of the First Spinjitzu Master).

Skylor had no response, she just stared at them as her heart sank. She knew it was a long shot, but it was clear now that they weren't going to give this up. No matter what she did, one way or another they were going to try and confront her father.

… And if they did that, then they would die.

She couldn't let that happen. There had to be _something_ she could do. _Something_ to put them out of her father's line of fire and make it through what was coming. There was no way they could win, but she wanted them to survive.

These were her friends. She wanted them alive.

No matter how they might feel about her by the end of it.

"Please," she said, hating how pitiful she sounded, but seeing no other way to convince them. "Don't get involved. This isn't something you can ninja your way out of."

But Lloyd wasn't swayed. "We'll find a way. Ninja never quit," he said.

She was afraid he'd say that.

"He'll hurt you," she tried again.

"Not if we hurt him first," said Nya, sounding vicious.

Kai looked her in the eyes and added, "Besides, you're worth it."

Skylor was pretty sure she was as red as her hair hearing that. There was no way she was worth what Chen would put them through.

Looking away from them and trying desperately to think of something more to say to convince them, she finally noticed one ninja was missing.

"Wait, where's Zane?" she asked.

"He went to take care of something," said Jay, looking a little thrown off by this change in subject. "He'll be back soon."

The look on Clouse's face when she told him Zane was a robot flashed through her mind. "He has to come back," she said, her worry seeping into her voice. "He's in danger."

The Ninja Force exchanged a glance, but it was Lloyd's little brother that spoke up first. "Why?" asked Little Montgomery.

Skylor ducked her head guiltily. "During my father's… tests I let slip he was a robot," she admitted. "He's now going to want to take Zane apart to see what makes him tick. You _can't_ let him get him."

Perhaps telling them that her 'father' was a threat to more than just her was a mistake as it only made their expressions darken. Still, they didn't seem too worried, even if Penny looked horrified.

"He's with our cousins, so he's not alone," said Cole calmly.

"And they went to a place that you can only reach on a dragon," added Jay. His face then fell. "Your father doesn't have a dragon, does he?" he asked worriedly.

Skylor felt relief spread through her as she shook her head. "No, no dragons," she said.

Penny let out a sigh of relief after hearing that. "Thank goodness."

Kai had a funny look on his face at Skylor's concern but didn't say why. Nya seemed to realize why, and smacked him on the back of the head and jerked her head pointedly at Penny. Whatever silent conversation they had made Kai look sheepish, but cheered up.

"We'll keep him safe," promised Lloyd, and the rest agreed again.

"What do you mean by tests?" asked Montgomery innocently.

They all turned to look at him.

Montgomery shrugged. "She said she told him Zane was a Nindroid during a test," he explained. "What test?"

They all turned to look back at Skylor.

Knowing she couldn't tell them they'd been testing her elemental power, Skylor scrambled for a response. "I- uh-" she stuttered, "He-he's a scientist. And because of that he and his, uh, lab assistants… like to test his experiments… on me."

The looks of righteous fury on all of their faces almost made Skylor feel bad for Clouse.

_Almost._ It wasn't like she'd lied about the experiments.

Thankfully, before any of them could say anything, flute music wafted through the room.

The Ninja all looked over at the door, expecting their master to come in that way, and Skylor and Penny followed their gaze.

So imagine Skylor's surprise when a voice came from right behind her.

"Hello, students."

Skylor shrieked and leaped away from the voice, sending her jumping on top of Kai, and he scrambled to catch her Scooby-Doo style.

Standing behind the couch stood Master Wu, and while it couldn't be seen, it was clear he was smirking beneath his beard.

"Master Wu!" said the Ninja Force, though Kai's voice was slightly strangled because of Skylor's grip on him.

"I see we have guests," said Master Wu, glancing at both Penny and Skylor. "In our _secret_ Mech warehouse."

The Ninja all looked guilty, but Penny quickly said, "Zane asked me to close my eyes when coming or leaving here, so I am still unaware of this building's location, and Skylor was unconscious when she arrived."

"What? Unconscious?" came another voice, making all of them jump and wheel around to see another figure standing there (having apparently come in the door like a normal person while Wu spooked them).

Skylor and Penny studied this new person. He was older than all of them by a few years at least, dressed mostly in black biker clothes, and would have looked intimidating if not for his pink bandana around his neck and a pink streak in his long black hair that was held back in a low ponytail ruining the effect.

Lloyd and Montgomery lit up at the sight of him. "Morro!" they said, running over to greet him.

Oh, he must be the adopted cousin Lloyd had mentioned.

The rest of the Ninja Force seemed less thrilled he was there to varying degrees. Cole seemed indifferent, Jay gave him a nervous wave, Nya rolled her eyes but seemed resigned, and Kai let out a groan and thumped his head against the back of the couch. "Oh great, Morro's visiting again," he grumbled. "Don't you have, you know, college stuff to do?"

"Nah, it's a slow week, so I thought I'd grace you with my presence," said Morro with a slight bite to his words. He then smirked and added, "Your girlfriend is cute, but don't you two think you're moving a bit fast?"

It was then Skylor realized she was still practically in Kai's lap from after Wu had startled her, and the two of them immediately separated to the very ends of the opposite sides of the couch, both very red in the face.

"So what's this about bringing unconscious girls to our secret lair," said Morro, still smirking.

Lloyd groaned and punched him in the arm. "You do realize how wrong that sounded, right?" he said, before explaining their situation, their suspicions, and what happened at the beach.

Upon hearing that, Morro's expression turned sympathetic, and he looked at Skylor and said, "My condolences, no one should go through that," and then glanced between her and Penny to add, "Sounds like the Tinman has good taste."

Penny looked startled to hear that. "What?" she asked.

Morro rolled his eyes. "You jumped off a dragon and ran into a fight just to save your friend. That's pretty brave."

Penny turned pink, and Lloyd punched Morro again along with Montgomery kicking him in the shin for good measure.

"No stealing Zane's crush while he's not here," Lloyd hissed louder than he probably meant to since Skylor was able to hear it and Penny turned even pinker.

Morro winced at the hits. "FSM! OW!" he cursed. He then sent his cousins a wry look and added, "I'd ask how you two got so violent, but then I remember what our family is like."

"Despite his best efforts to the contrary, my father certainly would be resigned to that fact by now," agreed Wu, with a twinkle in his eye

That got chuckles out of them and succeeded in lightening the atmosphere (though some were confused what Wu meant about his father).

"So why are you guys here?" asked Cole, getting back on track. "More ninja stuff?"

The mirth fell off Master Wu's face, and his expression turned serious. "Indeed we have," he said. He glanced at their guests, before saying, "Students, Secret Ninja meeting, now."

The Ninja Force nodded and moved to exit the warehouse and meet on the Bounty.

Skylor and Penny moved to join them, but Master Wu held his flute-staff out in front of them. "_Secret_ ninja meeting," he said, emphasizing the word 'secret'. "Please wait here and recover. We will not be long."

"But-" both girls tried to protest, but a stern glare from Wu shut them down.

"I am sorry for the exclusion, but this is something we must do for our duty to defend Ninjago from any threat," said Wu seriously.

"Montgomery went with you?" pointed out Penny.

"So did that Morro guy," added Skylor.

"Montgomery is a ninja in training, and will potentially join the Ninja Force when he is older," said Wu. "And Morro is my son, there is very little I can hide from him."

The girls exchanged annoyed glances.

Taking pity on them, Wu said, "You are welcome to play the Ninja's video games in the meantime. Or, if you too wish to become a ninja yourselves," he held out a book to them, "you can read my book on Ninjology."

With that, he tossed the book into Penny's hands and turned to follow his students out of the warehouse.

The girls stared after him in disbelief.

And then with a shrug, Penny opened the book and began to read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you all know, I'm traveling again, so Tuesday's update may be late, I'm not sure yet. Well, people were asking if Morro'd be in this fic. Well, here he is, and he can't help but being kind of a jerk to tease his cousin. More with him next chapter. Unfortunately, Skylor is still too scared of Chen to tell the whole truth to the Ninja Force, and instead just confirmed what they already figured out, inaccuracies and all. She doesn't think they can beat him and thinks that if she keeps working for Chen she can have enough sway to protect them. Zane, meanwhile, is still reeling from his discovery and needed someone to talk to.
> 
> As ever, major thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading and contributing ideas to this chapter. She was a huge help, and the joke that maybe people in the movie world aren't as aware that Wu, Garmadon and Lloyd are related to the FSM came from her. Also, as I mentioned before, Nya giving people tackles like Kai gives hugs was from her too.
> 
> Next Time: Wu and Morro share the results of their investigation while Pep Zane has a heart to heart with Zen.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wu and Morro share the results of their investigation while Pep Zane has a heart to heart with Zen

_Movie Ninjago_

"So what's up, Master Wu?" asked Luh-Loyd, all business when Wu joined them in the galley of the Bounty.

"I believe my sources have found a lead to whoever is controlling that Snake Mech," Master Wu replied, equally serious.

At his words, his students gasped, and broke into chatter, before Master Wu held up a hand to silence them. "Morro," he said to his son, indicating him to move forward.

Morro nodded and began handing out police reports and maps for them all to see, though their relevance wasn't immediately clear.

"So what are we looking at?" asked Nya curiously.

"A pattern," Wu replied. "One that's easy to miss if you are not looking for it."

"If there was one good thing Garmadon's constant attacks did for the city, it was his absorption of almost all criminals into his army," Morro said. "And any who refused or he just didn't like were beaten into submission and left for the cops to find. Thanks to that, aside from a few minor crimes, all the problems the city had came from him."

"Wait? Really?" asked Lil'Loyd.

"It's true," said Cole. "We never had to fight common criminals."

"Every bad guy we faced came from the volcano," Jay agreed. "Or were the Skulkin or SoG, which are still connected to Garmadon."

Lil'Loyd blinked. "Huh, didn't realize my world had more variety of bad guys," he said.

"Like what?" asked Kai.

Lil'Loyd began counting on his fingers, "Serpentine, resurrected pirates, evil clones, giant monsters-"

"ANYWAY!" said Morro loudly, cutting him off and getting back to the matter at hand. "We _thought_ our only problems came from Garmadon, but we were wrong."

Luh-Loyd, who had been examining the papers and maps, began to see the pattern. "None of these have anything to do with my dad," he said in realization. "But they're all robberies to steal equipment needed to make a mech. And a tough one too, from the list of materials."

"The Snake Mech?" asked Lil'Loyd.

"Knowing our luck, probably," said Kai.

Nya, who was looking over a second stack of papers, piped up, "And these are all about extortion crimes," she said. "People being threatened into giving money or information."

"But Dad doesn't need stuff like that," said Luh-Loyd. "All his mech parts are mined and made in the volcano or were pillaged during his attacks, and he always just stole money if he needed it. And information gathering wasn't really his thing."

Master Wu nodded. "I also had Koko confirm it within my brother's records. While the crimes were made to look as though they were committed by Garmadon's men, they were in fact committed by imposters."

"Organized imposters," agreed Morro. "They'd have to be to pull off some of this stuff. Ones with a lot of pull to hide their crimes, and likely have eyes and ears everywhere."

Jay began to pale beneath his freckles. "Does this mean what I think it means? If so, don't tell me."

"We believe that there is a criminal organization in the city," said Wu solemnly. "And it has been hiding right beneath our noses." He then played the theme of the _Godfather _on his flute.

"I said don't tell me," Jay moaned, and Cole placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"But what does this have to do with the Serpentine?" the Earth Ninja asked. "Why go after a bunch of snakes in the desert and make them believe some old doomsday prophecy?"

"I can't be certain," said Master Wu. "But if I were to hazard a guess, I would assume it to be that the leader of this organization wants power."

"Well duh," said Lil'Loyd.

Luh-Loyd nodded in agreement. "I doubt it'd be anything else," he said dryly.

Morro snickered at their sass. "Cliches aside, part of that prophecy they told you said the Golden Master would steal those shiny magic weapons and become all-powerful. Sounds like a pretty tempting deal for any evildoer. If it wasn't so secret, I'm sure more would have tried to step up to the plate."

"And if those Golden Weapons are as powerful as the Serpentine and our counterparts have reported," added Master Wu, "then going against one who could wield them would be a challenge even for you."

"But you _can't_ just pick them up and use them," Lil'Loyd protested. "The Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu are too powerful for almost anyone to use more than one at a time. Even my Uncle Wu never tried to use more than two. Aside from the First Spinjitzu Master, my dad's the only one who could. If anyone else tried to use all four weapons at once they'd get vaporized. Dad had to spend years doing weird stuff in the Underworld and grow extra arms just to pull it off."

"Wait, _that's_ why he has four arms?" asked Nya.

"You mean he didn't originally?" asked Luh-Loyd.

"Nope, even after he transformed he just had the two," said Lil'Loyd. "It was freaky Underworld magic that gave him the extra ones. He needed them just to hold all four weapons anyway."

"It is hard to use that many weapons with only two hands," said Cole dryly.

Jay winced. "Yeah, and getting vaporized doesn't sound worth it," he said. "Who'd want ultimate power if you can only use it for one second before you get zapped."

"Maybe they figured out a way," said Kai, who had been looking over the mech supply crimes with his sister. "Or did what Sensei G did."

Morro snorted. "Yeah, that'll make finding the boss easier. Just look for someone _not_ Uncle Garmadon with four arms."

Kai shot him a glare. "I don't see you coming up with any better ideas," he snapped.

Morro opened his mouth to retort, but Wu held up a hand to stop the bickering before it could start (much to the relief of everyone else).

"There is still much we do not know," the ninja master said. "But one thing is for certain. Our enemy is numerous, unknown, and has been five steps ahead of us since the start." His expression turned determined. "It is time we began to catch up."

* * *

_Show Ninjago_

Jay and Cole were beginning to get a little unnerved, and the source of their discomfort was the Nindroid perched behind them on the back of the dragon.

In the short time they'd known him, Pep Zane tended to live up to his name. He was always making a cheerful (if sometimes confusing or inappropriate) remark, asking questions, or saying something that emphasized how he was a 'normal teen'.

That wasn't the case this time. Instead, Pep was strangely silent and contemplative and really reminding them more of his counterpart than himself.

Never one to let an awkward silence linger, Jay said, "Hey, you holding up alright?"

Pep jerked like he was surprised, but replied, "Yes, I am holding onto the dragon with sufficient tightness. I will not fall off."

Cole and Jay traded wry looks. He was definitely Zane's counterpart.

"I meant are you okay," Jay corrected. "You've been pretty quiet."

Pep looked thoughtful as he reviewed his memories of the last few minutes. "So I have been. I apologize. The events on the beach have left me with much to think about."

"I get it," said Cole understandingly. "Seeing your friend get attacked like that is rough. Especially hearing it was from her family. Just know you can talk to us too if you want."

Pep blinked and then gave a small smile. "Thank you," he replied. "I appreciate that, but I'm afraid my counterpart is in the best position to advise me on this. If I have further questions on a different subject, I will keep you in mind."

The dragon landed outside the monastery and tea shop, and the three disembarked.

As they did, Kai stepped outside carrying light blue uniforms with goofy-looking teapot hats.

"You two are late," he said with a shark-like grin on his face and holding the uniforms out to them. "Sensei Wu says you two have an extra shift in the tea shop to make up for it."

Both Jay and Cole groaned at the sight of the clothing and looked reluctant to take them from Kai's hands.

"What are those?" asked Pep, eyeing the uniforms curiously.

Kai blinked, realizing the Nindroid was there. "Oh, hey Pep. They're our uniforms for working in the tea shop. They look dumb, but Sensei Wu insists we wear them."

Pep blinked and the sound of a camera shutter went off. "I see," he said. He then glanced at Jay and Cole. "I will be sure to inform Nya that you do, in fact, own more clothes."

"Please don't," Jay groaned, the outfits were lame enough on one world. They can't spread them to another too.

"Do I want to know?" asked Kai, looking confused.

"No," replied Jay and Cole dryly.

"Just try to wear something other than your ninja gi next time you go to the other Ninjago," added Cole.

Kai seemed to get some idea what they were talking about and nodded. "Gotcha."

"May I ask where Zen is?" asked Pep, drawing their attention back to him. "There is something I need to discuss with him."

"Sure," said Kai, pointing behind him. "He's in the river behind the monastery."

"You mean '_at'_ the river," Pep Zane corrected.

"Nope, _in_ the river," said Kai. "He's practicing meditating and holding his breath again. Don't know why he still does that, it's not like either of you two need to breathe."

Pep winced and his entire body gave a violent jerk, and the other three remembered too late how much he hated even hinting at his robotic nature.

"Sorry," Kai quickly apologized, but Pep was already wheeling away towards where Zen Zane reportedly was at top speed.

"Nice going, Kai," said Jay sarcastically.

"Real sensitive," agreed Cole with equal sass.

Kai scowled and threw their tea shop uniforms in their faces. "Yeah, yeah, get to work."

As Pep Zane rounded the corner of the building, he shook his head and tried to do everything short of erasing his own memory to forget what Kai had just said. He _hated_ deleting anything from his head. It made him feel less human.

… Which was half the problem he needed to talk to Zen about.

He reached the river and waterfall behind the tea shop and moved to where it was deepest. Sure enough, there beneath the clear rushing water was his counterpart sitting in a lotus position on the pebbly bottom.

As Pep stood puzzling about how to catch Zen Zane's attention, a splash in the water drew his eyes, and he saw Zen surface.

"I sensed you wanted to speak to me," he said as he climbed out of the river and began wringing the water out of his gi. "What seems to be the matter?"

"THE GIRL I LIKE IS A ROBOT!" Pep blurted out rapidly at top volume.

Zen Zane blinked at him, not expecting that. "Is that a problem?" he asked finally.

Caught off guard, Pep had to take a moment to formulate a response. "... No. But… I had no idea until I accidentally scanned her. She is very good at hiding it. Better than-" he broke off, and looked away.

"Better than you," said Zen knowingly.

Pep refused to look at him.

"Pep," said Zen gently. "What is really wrong? Why did finding this out upset you?"

Pep was silent for a moment, and then the word vomit began. "I really like this girl," he said. "But she's an android, but I still like her. Why is she an android? Is she like me? Does she want to be normal too? Should I ask? What if she hates me for finding out? I don't want her to hate me, I still really like her. But she's an android and I'm a normal teen. What if-"

Zen had to hold up his hands to stop the constant stream of questions before Pep talked himself in circles for eternity. Pep cut himself off immediately and looked at his counterpart with a lost expression.

Knowing his counterpart and little brother figure was counting on him, Zen Zane took a moment to process Pep's words before answering. Despite the numerous questions, one statement stuck out to him.

_She's an android and I am a normal teen._

That… wasn't true.

"I do not understand, Pep. " Zen said slowly, "Why is it so important to be something we are not?"

Pep Zane jerked at his words. "I do not understand the question," he said immediately. "I am a normal teen."

There it was again.

With a sigh, Zen looked him firmly in the eyes, and replied, "No, Pep, we are not."

But Pep shook his head in denial. "Yes, I am!" he insisted, his voice rising in volume. "I am! I am! I am!"

Seeing that talking was getting nowhere, Zen Zane reached down and pried open the hatch on his chest, giving Pep a perfect view of the wires and switches inside.

Pep Zane could only stare at the undeniable proof that his counterpart was not human, his hands reaching up to cover his own clasp that would do the same.

Reaching out with a gentle hand on his shoulder, Zen said, "Pep, I am a Nindroid. This is a fact. I admit, I too was fearful of how my friends, my brothers, would react when I, myself, first discovered this information."

Pep looked at him curiously, and Zen elaborated. "As I've mentioned before, I had no idea of my true nature for a long time. It was not until I followed my falcon and found my father's old blueprints for me that I discovered it. Learning what I truly am… shocked me. I had always been considered odd by the others, but none of us ever suspected… On top of that, remembering my own past and my father not long after this revelation, it was an overwhelming day, to say the least."

"I would say so," agreed Pep softly. He couldn't imagine not knowing something so integral about himself and shuddered at the thought of ever forgetting his family.

"As my counterpart," said Zen, drawing his attention back to him, "you are also a Nindroid. It is an indisputable fact. Why are you so against that?"

Pep kept his hands firmly clamped over the clasp to his chest cavity and was silent for so long, Zen almost worried he'd broken him.

Finally, the blue-eyed Nindroid answered. "But… People hate androids," he said like he couldn't believe things could be otherwise. "It was one of the first things I ever saw. Androids being ripped apart, and people cheering for it. I cannot be a Nindroid because then everyone will hate me." He then ducked his head and added in his lowest volume setting, "I… could not stand it if my friends hated me."

Zen could only stare at him. What had his counterpart seen that had affected him so much?

This line of thinking was wrong, and he could not let it stand.

"You're wrong," said Zen Zane.

Pep Zane looked up at him in surprise.

"My friends all know I am a Nindroid," Zen continued, his voice even. "Kai, Cole, and Jay found me not long after my discovery of it. They were surprised, to say the least, to hear and see the truth." He then smiled fondly. "But once the surprise wore off, they were supportive and patient with me. Jay even coined the term 'Nindroid' for me, and it has stuck ever since. Seeing them accept me helped me accept myself."

Pep tried to picture himself and his friends in Zen's shoes. How would his own friends react to that?

Zen Zane then looked him in the eye and asked, "Do you believe they lied and actually hate me?"

Pep blinked at the question. It was more than clear to anyone who spent five minutes with the Ninja of that world that they were close. "No," he replied.

"And my brother, my Echo," said Zen. "Unlike me, his Nindroid nature is unhidden. There is no hiding what he is. And yet, have you seen anyone reject him for it?"

Pep slowly shook his head. Who could ever reject the sweet Echo of this world?

"And your own Echo," said Zen. "He does not try to hide what he is. He glows, he extends his limbs, he speaks without breathing, but does anyone resent him for it."

Pep's eyes widened at the idea of anyone hating his little brother, but… no one has. "No," he replied.

"And this girl you are infatuated with," said Zen. "You said yourself that you do not mind she is an android. Do you believe your friends will either?"

Pep thought a moment with a frown. While he could see some of them being a bit hurt she had kept the fact hidden from them, for the most part… "Outright rejection seems unlikely," he said.

"Then why on any Ninjago would you think your friends would hate _you_ for this?" asked Zen Zane.

Pep remained silent for a long moment just processing this. Finally, he admitted, "... They wouldn't."

"No, they wouldn't," Zen concluded in agreement. "No one worth knowing would."

Pep's expression twisted. "But everyone will know!" He blurted out. "I've been lying about it for so long!"

"Pep... they already know," said Zen gently. "And trust me, they're fine with it. I think you might be the only one that isn't."

Pep was rendered silent at that, no doubt going through his memory banks and remembering every time he had done something inhuman in front of them or his friends subtly referenced his Nindroid abilities. Except for when he suspected they first figured it out, they had never argued with him when he insisted he was normal and instead had simply encouraged him to do what made him happiest.

They accepted him and just wanted him to be happy…

"Perhaps… my worries have been… irrational," Pep Zane admitted slowly as it all sank in for him. "I do not know why I fear this so much."

"In that way, you _are_ a normal teen," said Zen with a small smile. "It is perfectly natural to worry what others will think so long as you do not let it rule your judgment." He added kindly, "You do not have to tell everyone if you are not comfortable with it, but with our friends, it couldn't hurt to be a little more honest."

Pep slowly nodded his head, the new information buzzing through his mind, and adjusting his world view along with it.

Seeming to sense this, Zen asked, "So, who are you?"

The answer formed in Pep's head, and he answered honestly, "I am Zane 'Pep' Julien. I am… I am a Nindroid, and I am here to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

With those words, nothing visibly changed, but there was a stir in the air like something important had happened.

Not seeming to notice this, Pep sent his counterpart a beaming smile and continued, "It is something I must tell my friends as soon as I can, as well as-"

He then broke off and glanced around Zen with a surprised expression.

Zen Zane followed his gaze and saw glimpses of silver and purple in the distance running up the steep, winding road that zigzagged around the mountain to the tea shop and monastery.

Recognizing the colors and realizing who it must be, Zen Zane's face broke into a smile. "Oh, it's Pixal," he said.

"Pixal?" asked Pep, looking like he both recognized the name and didn't at the same time. "Spelled P-I-X-A-L?"

Zen looked bewildered at the question of the spelling but shrugged it off. "Yes," he replied. "I'm afraid you are not the only one who has recently become infatuated. Come, you must meet her."

Zen began tugging him towards the tea shop where they could greet her, but Pep refused to budge and covered his eyes so he could not see any more of her encroaching figure on the path.

Lost as to what his counterpart was now doing, Zen asked, "Is something wrong?"

Pep resolutely turned away from the sight of the path, and said, "I believe I may know who you are referring to. However, if I am correct, I wish to see and hear it from Penny Trixie Allons first before confirming it here."

"Penny Trixie Allons?" asked Zen in confusion, before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh," he said, his smile returning. "In that case, I will take you back to the Ultra Dragon so you may ask her directly."

"I appreciate that," said Pep, who still had his eyes closed, and had to be led blindly back to the dragon.

Zen watched fondly as his counterpart rode the dragon through a portal in the sky before turning to enter the tea shop.

He was eager to see Pixal again, and couldn't wait to hear why she had come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, in case you didn't notice, Pep Zane just got his true potential. It wasn't during a big fight, and Pep doesn't even realize it yet, but it has happened and that's what's important. He'll figure it out soon enough. It was something Kay Hau and I talked a lot about during planning. That it might be nice if instead of always gaining their powers in the middle of a fight, the Ninja Force could also potentially find their True Potential during a quiet moment of discussion. Since neither Freckles Jay nor Luh-Loyd glowed when they got their True Potential, Pep didn't get any visual cue he's got it, but it's there. He also realized who Pixal was due to Penny's asking if his name was an acronym and noticing hers could be acronymed to Pixal, for the same reason Zen caught on to what he meant too. As for the rest of the Ninja Force on Movie Ninjago, they at least know what kind of bad guys they're up against now, but still don't know it's specifically Chen.
> 
> Big thanks to Kay Hau for helping with this chapter. Some of the lines from the Zanes while Pep is getting his True Potential came from her. Specifically where Pep worries about his friends knowing and Zen says they already know and are fine with it. Again, a lot of planning for this wouldn't have happened without her help.
> 
> Next Time: Pixal finally reaches the Steep Wisdom to warn the Ninja, only to find a large problem in beating the Nindroids.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pixal finally reaches the Steep Wisdom to warn the Ninja, only to find a large problem in beating the Nindroids.

_Show Ninjago_

Cole didn't know whether to laugh or start banging his head against the broom he was supposed to be using at the scene before him.

It was more than clear that despite the distraction of everything that had happened on the Other Ninjago, Jay was still steadfast in his freak-out about Nya dumping him, and absolutely none of Cyan Nya's advice had sunk in.

Jay was determined to lead this one-man (well, two-man, since Cole was along for the ride) witch hunt to the bitter end. He was _going _to find who Nya's perfect match was, and whoever that guy was would rue the day he ever even so much as glanced at the girl.

And Cole was willing to support him in that. He was fine with him searching for the guy, he was even fine with helping Jay beat him up if he turned out to be a jerk, he just wished Jay would stop badgering _every_ single guy they came across to find out if it was him.

As it was, the poor customer standing in their shop looked close to passing out as Jay continued to interrogate him.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Jay was demanding. "HOW DID YOU RIG THAT MACHINE! WHY DID YOU STEAL MY GIRLFRIEND?!"

The poor teenage boy who'd made the mistake of coming to Steep Wisdom to buy his tea just gave the angry guy with sparking hands a look of complete fear and confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"A _likely_ story," Jay practically hissed. "What do you want with Nya?"

"Who?" the customer squeaked fearfully, but a glare from Jay had him adding. "I don't want anything with her! I don't even know her!"

"Yeah right!" Jay snapped. "Then why are you here?"

"I just wanted to get some nice tea to impress Emi and get her to _like me!"_ the boy wailed, looking one more shout away from bursting into tears.

Cole was just about to step in and save him, but Jay froze at his confession.

"... Emi?" Jay asked finally. "Who's Emi?"

"T-This girl in my calculus class," the customer admitted hesitantly, his face turning slightly red. "She's really smart and nice. She loves trying different teas, and I thought this place might have some cool kinds she hasn't had before."

Jay was silent for a long moment, studying the boy's face for honesty.

Then, like a switch was flipped, he smiled brightly and instantly had a more friendly disposition. "Well, why didn't you just say so!" he said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Let's get you the girl of your dreams, buddy. What's your name again?"

"My name is Lee," the boy sputtered.

"Well, Lee, love is in your future (just so long as you stay away from Nya). Come on, I'll find the best tea she'll ever have," Jay volunteered eagerly.

Lee blinked at him, still looking terrified but also seemed to be relieved he was no longer getting yelled at. He and Cole could only watch as Jay suddenly turned into the perfect tea seller, asking friendly questions about what kind of flavors Emi liked, and helped him pick out the best tea to impress her.

"Is he okay?" Lee asked Cole softly as Jay bustled around the shop to complete his order.

"He just got dumped by his dream girl," Cole whispered back in reply as he slowly began sweeping the shop again.

"Oooooh," said Lee. "That makes sense. Someone stole her, then?"

"Yeah, sorry about all this," said Cole with a sympathetic wince. "I promise he's usually _marginally_ more sane than this."

Lee looked bemused, as despite the shouting he'd endured at the beginning, the incredible service he was now getting sort of made up for it… maybe… it was definitely an improvement, and Emi was sure to like this tea. "Well, whoever stole his girl, I'd sure hate to be him," Lee said finally.

"You and me both," agreed Cole.

Just then Jay came over to them all smiles. "Here you go, as ordered," he said, handing Lee the bag. "I also threw in some heart-shaped tea cakes that go great with this blend, on the house. Now go win that girl over with the power of tea and _love!_"

"Wow, uh, thanks," said Lee, still too intimidated by Jay to say much, and was already edging towards the door with the bag in his hands.

Just then, the door to the tea shop burst open, and they all turned to stare at Pixal standing in the doorway looking desperately at them.

Sensing the chance to beat a hasty retreat, Lee threw some money at them and darted out the door past her with a shout of, "Good luck on your manhunt!"

Pixal stepped aside for him to pass, and shouted after him, "Do not return to Ninjago City, it is too dangerous!"

"Wait, what?" asked Cole in surprise.

Then, Zane came in with a bright smile on his face. "Pixal, you came to visit," he said. But his smile quickly faded at the sight of her appearance. Her silver hair was windswept, and her tunic had multiple tears and bits of glass clinging to it. "What has happened to you?"

Pixal turned to look at them, her expression serious. "The Nindroids are coming."

* * *

It didn't take long for them all to gather in the monastery, and Pixal to explain what had happened.

"Pythor," Cole growled. "Thought for sure we'd seen the last of him."

"Seeing him swallowed whole by the Great Devourer did leave that impression," agreed Zane, his face grim.

"Guess even the Great Devourer has better taste than that," Jay said sarcastically. "Creepy jerk probably gave him a stomach ache."

"From his complaints about the state of his scales, that is entirely possible," Pixal admitted. Her expression then turned desperate, "Please, you will help save my father, won't you?"

They all blinked at the different way she referred to him as her father now as opposed to before but shrugged it off. "Of course we will," Nya promised.

"My thanks," said Pixal gratefully.

"Still, if Pythor is back, then I'm glad Lloyd's out of the line of fire," said Kai with a dark look, and glad their youngest member was in the other Ninjago. "He _still_ can't stand volcanos thanks to the last time Pythor got ahold of him."

"Indeed," agreed Sensei Garmadon, gripping his staff tightly. "And if I had not sworn to pacifism, then I'd be tempted to give that treacherous snake what's coming to him." Despite saying that, he looked tempted to break his vow and do so anyway.

"I'd be happy to do that in your stead," said Misako with a sweet smile that did not match the level of malice that was oozing off her. Having heard what her son had gone through thanks to her poor choices, the guilt tended to cause the normally demure archeologist to be more than happy to air her grievances at those who mistreated him in her absence.

"We all would be willing to aid in that endeavor," agreed Sensei Wu.

Pixal, meanwhile, looked alarmed. "What do you mean, 'out of the line of fire'?" she asked.

They all exchanged a glance, unsure about how to explain the other world to her.

"Lloyd is spending the night with some extended family of ours," Wu finally explained without really explaining. "They live quite far away, so far, in fact, that we normally must use the Ultra Dragon to reach them."

Pixal's expression turned distraught. "Oh no!" she said. "You must call him back at once."

They all exchanged a glance of surprise at that. "What? Why?" asked Zane.

"My son is a child, would it not be better he is somewhere safe?" asked Sensei Garmadon.

Pixal shook her head. "Under normal circumstances, yes," she replied. "However, in this case, he is the key to our victory."

"Aw man, is this another Green Ninja thing?" asked Cole.

"But he's still in training," Nya protested.

"Yeah, take it easy on the little guy," Jay agreed, shooting Nya a look hoping for her approval, which she did her best to ignore.

"It is his energy powers we need. They are vital," Pixal explained. "Pythor demanded my father and I use Zane's blueprints to construct him an army. However, I instead used my own blueprints with some minor aesthetic modifications."

"Still not seeing what that has to with Lloyd," said Kai.

"Because there is a weakness in my design that Dr. Julien's designs do not have. Do you not recall what his power did when he was visiting Borg Tower?" asked Pixal.

Understanding flooded the teenagers' faces, but the adults still looked confused.

"What? What happened?" asked Misako in concern.

"He used his powers in the lobby almost everything shorted out. If he hadn't stopped, every electronic in the room would have fried," explained Nya.

"Including myself," agreed Pixal.

"Then we could use Lloyd's power to take out Pythor's new army all at once!" said Jay, his face lighting up. "Easiest fight _ever!_ We just take care of that, and get back to doing our own thing."

Cole sighed, knowing 'doing his own thing' for Jay meant badgering more potential love rivals.

However, Zane's face fell as something occurred to him. "I'm afraid it is not so simple," he replied. "Pep was just here visiting me, and he took the Ultra Dragon to return right before Pixal arrived. Until the Ultra Dragon returns or Meowthra happens by for a visit, we have no way of following him and retrieving Lloyd."

There was a beat of silence as that sank in.

"Meowthra?" Pixal couldn't help but ask in confusion.

"Our friend's giant pet demon cat," said Cole, waving the question off. "You might have heard about sightings of her."

"That… explains the reported sightings of a massive feline," said Pixal slowly. She then shook her head to get back on track. "Is there no way you could call him back?"

"No, nothing," said Nya. "We've been working on a way to call, but it didn't seem that important compared to everything else, and not even Dr. Gary has come up with a phone that can reach that far."

"Not unless the, uh, doorway is open on their side," added Jay. "But they weren't scheduled to test anything today to let that happen."

They fell silent as it sank in for them.

They could only hope the Ultra Dragon returned soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos to those who guessed that Pixal's plan was for Lloyd to use his powers to short out the Nindroids, and good guess for everyone who thought it had to do with the energy source. Lloyd did say he'd save it for a robot apocalypse. They're not quite at that level yet, but better to cut it off before it gets too much. The only problem is, Ultra is currently in Movie Ninjago, and so is Meowthra, and until one of them goes to the Show world, they have no way of getting Lil'Loyd back or contacting their counterparts, so... yeah, for the moment they're kinda stuck.
> 
> As ever, a huge thanks to Kay Hau who helped plan a lot of this out. Jay flipping out at every guy he meets is partially her idea, and she was a huge help in plotting out this chapter.
> 
> Next Time: The Ninja Force finishes their planning for now, and Zane gets a chance to talk to Penny about his discovery.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ninja Force finishes their planning for now, and Zane gets a chance to talk to Penny about his discovery.

_Movie Ninjago_

Zane brought the Ultra Dragon down on the docks not far from the mech warehouse and slid off their back.

As he did so, all four heads of the Ultra Dragon let out yawns and tired sighs.

Zane smiled at the sight. "Oh dear. You must be tired," he said, patting them on the side. "I can understand why. So many trips between worlds, a long flight over the sea, and fighting a mech on top of it must be exhausting."

Shard the ice head nuzzled him in agreement, but despite that, they still rose to their feet and prepared to fly off despite their exhaustion.

"You are welcome to stay and rest," Zane said to them. "You won't be needed until Lil'Loyd wants to return home after his trip tomorrow."

The Ultra Dragon paused to consider the offer.

But then the choice was taken from them when Meowthra suddenly appeared from behind a building, grabbed Ultra by the scruff of their necks and carried the dragon-like a kitten to a large pile of fishing nets and old cloth sacks the local fishermen had donated to make Meowthra a makeshift bed on the docks.

The demon cat turned in a circle around her net bed before curling up in it with the Ultra Dragon still trapped in her paws. It was clear she was not letting him go until he had at least had a nap, much to Ultra's annoyance if the grumbling noises they were making were anything to go by.

Chuckling at the sight, Zane made his way back to the warehouse.

He entered to see Penny sitting on the couch with her nose in Master Wu's book while Skylor wandered around the warehouse and examined the lockers where they stored their uniforms.

Oddly enough, the rest of his friends were nowhere in sight.

"I have returned," Zane announced, making both girls look up in surprise.

Penny immediately lit up at the sight of him. "Zane!" she said, setting the book down and hurrying over to him. "Are you alright."

Zane blinked. "Yes, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Skylor winced as she came over and opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the sound of footsteps behind him had them all turn to see Zane's team along with Lil'Loyd, Morro, and Wu heading towards them.

"Zane, bro, you're back!" said Kai brightly at the sight of him.

"You doing okay?" asked Luh-Loyd.

"Yeah, you seemed out of it before you left," added Lil'Loyd

"We were beginning to wonder if you swapped brains with Zen," said Jay.

"Totally," Nya agreed. "You never miss the chance to meme, and there was one perfectly lined up after that last fight before we left."

"There was?" asked Zane in surprise.

Nya rolled her eyes. "This beach is empty," she said.

Zane's eyes lit up as he caught on. "YEET!" he finished with a wide grin.

As one the other ninja let out sighs of relief. "And he's back," said Cole.

"Indeed," said Zane. "I have returned from visiting Zen."

The Ninja Force shared wry smiles at him being too literal, but Zane wasn't done. "And I have something to tell all of you."

"Oh? What is it, Zane?" asked Luh-Loyd curiously.

Zane took a deep breath that he didn't actually need, and said, "I have not been entirely honest with you all. From the day we met, I have insisted that I am a normal human teenager."

"Actually, you said you were a preteen," said Jay, only to get an elbow in the gut for interrupting.

"Yes," said Zane, unphased by Jay's correction. "But that wasn't honest of me. The truth is, I am not human. I am a Nindroid created by my father. I am sorry I was not open with that information until now. I was worried it would affect our friendship."

There was a long beat of silence as his friends all stared at him with wide eyes, not surprised at what he was saying, but extremely surprised he was saying it.

Then with a shriek of delight from Nya, they all launched themselves at him, and despite his heavy metal frame, Zane was thrown to the ground and disappeared beneath a five-ninja tackle-hug.

Zane was allowed to sit up but remained surrounded in a massive group hug as his friends all cheerfully congratulated him.

"You finally said it!" "Don't worry, we knew!" "I'm so glad!" "This is huge, bro!" "Great job!"

Zane blinked as they all chattered around him, not one of them was at all disgusted or angry at his announcement. Instead, they were just happy and relieved he had trusted them with it, even though they already knew. He had to smile at the sight.

He really had the best friends.

Seeing as they seemed uninterested in letting him go any time in the near future, Zane glanced around at the others in the warehouse for their reactions.

Lil'Loyd gave him a smile and when Zane waved for him to join them, he jumped into the hug with some jostling, Morro was rolling his eyes at the others' reactions but gave him a thumbs up. Skylor had a sad smile on her face like she was happy for him but there was something on her mind (given the day she'd had, he wasn't surprised), and Penny was beaming at him with a bright grin as if she was delighted at what he'd said

Master Wu was nodding approvingly as well. "It is wonderful you have come to understand this and be true to yourself, Zane," he said. "And know that you are stronger for it."

Zane smiled at his words. Given their warm reception to his admission, he wished he had spoken up sooner. He'd never felt so accepted.

When his friends finally calmed down enough to let him up, Zane asked, "So what did I miss?"

His teammates exchanged a glance. "Well, kind of a lot," said Kai, pointedly glancing at Penny and Skylor, making it clear some of it they couldn't talk about in front of them.

Zane blinked and glanced at the girls. "I see," he said. "Was there something you wanted to tell me, Skylor?" he asked, feeling that would probably be safe to discuss.

Skylor winced again and explained between several apologies what she had let slip and what the consequences could be.

When she finished, Zane's face was the picture of concern, but not for himself. "If your father would be willing to disassemble me, would he be willing to do the same to my brother?"

"You have a brother?" asked Skylor in surprise.

"Yes, he does," said Penny. "I met him the other day. He is very sweet."

"Is he…. You know, like you?" asked Skylor hesitantly.

"Yes, my brother is also a Nindroid," said Zane.

"Then, yes," said Skylor looking worried. "He'd probably think he was an easier target. Though, he'd consider having you both to be ideal, that way he could compare you two."

Zane stilled as he heard that. "I must return home at once," he said.

Wu nodded in allowance. "Go. While it is unlikely Skylor's father will find them, it is better to be safe than sorry."

Zane gave a nod of thanks before grabbing his bag with his ninja gi from his locker and turning to exit the warehouse immediately.

"I'll go with you," said Luh-Loyd, hurrying after the nindroid. "There's safety in numbers and I can fill you in on the rest on the way."

"Yeah, we can have a sleepover," said Lil'Loyd, hurrying after them as well. "I haven't seen Tiny in a while."

"I'm so sorry!" apologized Skylor after him, before glancing over at Kai and whispering, "His brother's name is Tiny?"

"No, it's Echo," replied Kai. "Tiny's just a nickname 'cause he's short."

"I wish to come as well," said Penny hurrying after them.

Hearing this, Zane and the Lloyds paused to look back at her.

Penny looked bashful at their attention, but said, "I do not want to see anyone else I know harmed today. I wish to escort you home so that I may see for myself Echo is safe… and you as well, Zane."

Zane stared at her in awe for a moment, before smiling. "You are welcome to come along," he said. "Truthfully, I have something I wish to talk to you about as well."

Penny's face brightened, and she, Zane, and the Lloyds left the warehouse (Penny resolutely shutting her eyes and being led out as they did so).

When they were gone, Morro turned his attention over to Skylor. "So what'll you do now, Carrot Top?" he asked. "I doubt daddy dearest is going to be too happy with you, and going home's not your best option."

Skylor grimaced. Given her father's temper, Morro didn't know the half of it.

"We called our parents while you were out," said Nya. "You're welcome to stay the night at our place."

"If you want, that is," Kai added. "We really just want you safe."

Not wanting to incur the wrath of her father, and knowing sticking as close to the Ninja as possible was best for her mission, Skylor would be a fool not to agree. "I'll need to swing by my place first to grab my stuff, but, yeah," she said. "If it's alright with you, I'd really appreciate that."

Kai's face lit up, and Nya let out a sigh of relief.

"Then it's best you all head home for the day," said Master Wu. "Tomorrow will be a busy day."

"Why? The Lloyds are the only ones with the big meeting," said Jay.

"You don't consider defending Ninjago City important?" asked Cole dryly. "Especially after the last time, Lloyd had a mission he was sent away for."

"Meaning we'll need you most, Mr. True Potential?" teased Nya.

Jay turned redder than a tomato at that. "Oh, right," he squeaked, hiding his face in his scarf with a happy but incredibly flustered smile.

"Hold on, Lloyd_s_? Meeting? True Potential? What are you talking about?" asked Skylor, looking confused.

Kai opened his mouth to try and answer without answering, but Morro beat him to it. "Sorry, can't tell you, Carrot Top. Ninja business."

"But-" Skylor tried to protest, but Master Wu agreed with his son. "I am sorry, young lady," he said. "But Morro is right. We can not discuss much of our missions with you."

"Aw come on, Master Wu," said Kai with a groan. "Can't I tell her something."

"No," said Wu. "Because you are _terrible_ at being subtle."

Morro burst out laughing at the look on Kai's face at that. Kai shot him a look that said 'I'm so setting you on fire later.'

"Can I at least tell her about True Potential?" asked Kai to Master Wu plaintively. "That's more of a self-discovery thing, right? It doesn't have to just be ninja that learn it."

Master Wu let out a chuckle at that. "No, anyone can find their True Potential if they are willing to look. You may tell her about that, but nothing else."

"What if I read your book?" offered Skylor. "Then will you tell me?"

Master Wu hummed and stroked his beard as though he were thinking hard about that.

"No," he said bluntly.

"Dang it," grumbled Skylor.

"Knowledge of our secrets comes with trust," Master Wu said sagely. "And trust comes with time. It is simply too soon for you to know."

Skylor looked disappointed and but didn't see the point in arguing. Instead, she turned her attention to Kai and Nya as she covered her eyes with her hand and allowed them to lead her out. "So what _is _this True Potential stuff?" she asked as they left, followed by the other ninja.

When they were all gone, Morro glanced at Wu. "Want me to stick around another couple days?" he asked. "I've got this nagging feeling we're at the edge of a storm."

Master Wu sighed. "I feel it too. But only time will tell which direction the storm will blow."

"Meaning you don't know," said Morro dryly, well used to his father's attempts to always sound wise even when he was clueless. "Great."

All they could do was try to be ready.

* * *

Knowing they could spend the evening discussing ninja business, Zane hung back with Penny as they walked to his house. Taking the hint, Luh-Loyd pretended his phone was dead and had to use a payphone to call his mother, and took Lil'Loyd into the booth with him, allowing the two some privacy to talk.

"What did you wish to discuss with me?" asked Penny as they waited.

Zane looked down at his feet and seemed guilty. "First, I wish to apologize," he said.

"What for?" asked Penny.

"At the beach, I performed a health scan on Skylor to discover what had been done to her," Zane explained. "However, in my distress over those events, I made the error of scanning you as well."

Penny froze in place and looked at him with wide sea-green eyes.

"I'm sorry," Zane apologized softly. "I know what you are."

Penny still didn't move, but the expression on her face was fearful.

"I will not tell anyone," Zane promised. "Not even my friends. I understand feeling the need to keep it secret." He then smiled slightly. "However, as you have seen, my friends will accept you when you feel ready."

Penny was silent a long moment longer, then glanced to make sure the Lloyds were suitably distracted and no one else was around, before dropping her hologram, allowing Zane to see her as she really was.

Zane stalled at the sight and could only stare at her. Her silver hair shining in the sunset's light, and the circuitry in her synthetic skin glittering in purple hues.

"I… I am not hiding for myself," she admitted softly. "I am hiding to protect someone else, but… You have been so kind to me. I feel I can trust you."

Zane could only stare at her open-mouthed.

Penny looked away, worried this changed things. "I am aware you were interested in me while thinking I was human," she said, disappointment leaking into her voice, "but…"

She was cut off when Zane reached over to cup her cheek and turn her head to face him again. "You're beautiful," he said, awe shining through his automated tones.

If her hologram were on, Penny's face would have turned pink.

Then, an important part of her words registered to him, and Zane's expression shifted to concern. "Wait, you are protecting someone? Who? The Ninja Force could help."

But Penny shook her head. "From what I have seen, the Ninja Force has enough problems currently. We have been safe this long, and odds are favorable we will remain so until yours have been solved." She smiled at him. "Do not worry about me. We can wait."

Zane frowned, but couldn't deny that the whole team had a lot on its plate at the moment. "If you're certain," he said.

"Yes," Penny said. "I have your number now, do I not? If anything changes, I will contact you immediately."

Zane was still worried and then reached into his bag to retrieve the hood of his ninja gi. With a sharp tug, he pulled out the radio piece sewn into it and handed it to her. "Keep this," he said. "Please do not use it unless it is an emergency, but it will give you a direct line to the Ninja Force's communication system. If you are ever in danger, you may use it to call for help."

Penny took the piece delicately. "Will you not need it to contact your team?" she asked.

Zane rotated his head back and forth. "No. Truthfully, I do not need it. I am able to sync with the others through my mental circuitry. I simply used it to keep up the facade I was human, and I'd much prefer you to be safe, Penny."

Penny clutched the radio to her chest before slipping it into her pocket for safekeeping. "Pixal," she said softly. "My real name is Pixal."

Zane's smile widened. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," he said.

Pixal giggled at his quote. "_Romeo and Juliet,_" she said with a smile. "Though perhaps we should avoid tragedies."

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate," Zane said without missing a beat, making Pixal laugh harder.

Then, the two were startled when they heard the phone booth door open, and Pixal quickly reactivated her hologram, not quite ready to show herself to the others just yet. From the knowing look Zane gave her, she knew he would stay quiet until she was ready.

"All set, Zane," said Luh-Loyd as he and Lil'Loyd came over to join them. "My mom will drop our stuff off at your place so we can spend the night, and then pick us up in the morning."

"Great," said Zane brightly. "I always enjoy our sleepovers."

"Except when they make us _sleep_," groaned Lil'Loyd. "Mom said we had to be in bed by eight."

"We have an early morning," said Luh-Loyd, rolling his eyes. "I don't want you falling off the mech halfway there."

"Going to bed at eight would give you the optimum eight-hour bedrest required for your growing body," Zane agreed as they all turned in the direction for his house.

And as they walked, Penny held Zane's hand the entire way there until they parted ways at his front door.

Echo and the Lloyds, great brothers that they were, playfully teased him about it for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this was late. I had to take my father to a doctor's appointment this morning and forgot all about it. Anywho, oh dear, Pep Zane and Meowthra inadvertently have made things harder for the Show Ninja. With Ultra Dragon looking set to sleep there for the night, it'll be that much longer before they can get Lil'Loyd back to handle their Nindroid problem. Uh oh. Not that the Movie Ninja have any idea about that. They're more caught up in the Skylor drama and being happy for Zane since he finally admitted to them being a Nindroid. They know how big a deal that is since he's been in denial for so long. Also, Penny/Pixal and Zane finally got their heart to heart. Unfortunately, Penny has no idea that her problems are tied to the Ninja's current problems, and by trying to lighten the load by keeping quiet she has also made things more complicated. These guys really need to work on their communication.
> 
> Big thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading and helping to plan this chapter. The Ninja tackling Zane out of joy at his announcement was her idea, as was Zane telling Pixal she's beautiful, and she was a big help planning this out.
> 
> Next Time: Skylor learns about True Potential, and gets a taste of what a real healthy family dynamic is like for the first time ever.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skylor learns about True Potential, and gets a taste of what a real healthy family dynamic is like for the first time ever.

_Movie Ninjago_

"So, let me get this straight, True Potential is when you get over a mental handicap and become stronger from it," said Skylor as the twins led her into their apartment building. "As in _literally_ stronger?"

It had taken longer than it should have to explain the concept to her. Kai had initially tried to explain it but kept tripping over his words trying to make it sound cool, and Nya was too amused by his fumbling to step in. Finally, the Water Ninja saw how hopelessly confused the redhead was and took pity on her to explain it more clearly.

"Well, not so much get over as not let it rule you anymore," said Nya thoughtfully. "I think, at least. Jay still gets scared at times during missions, and sometimes it makes him freeze up or panic like before, but he works to find his courage anyway."

"Yeah," agreed Kai as they stepped into the elevator and hit the button for their floor. "It's not an instant fix for your issues. Just the first step to resolve to fix them."

"And neither of you have found yours yet?" asked Skylor curiously.

"No," Nya sighed. "That's kind of the hardest part of True Potential. From what I've seen, most people don't even realize what they're doing is a problem for them until they confront it. Neither of us has figured it out yet."

"Most people? You know others who've done it?" asked Skylor.

"Yeah," said Kai, not seeing any reason to keep that secret. "Lloyd got his after he forgave his father. We could all see he had issues with his dad from a mile away, but our bro was in pretty deep denial. Our cousin Spike got his too. I think it was when he realized he couldn't always be the center of attention."

"Spike?" asked Skylor.

"Cousin Red's older brother," Nya explained and elbowed her brother. "And it was when he realized his duty to protect Lil'-er-Montgomery was more important than his desire for glory."

"I'm not hearing much of a difference," said Kai with a shrug.

Nya rolled her eyes.

"So Spike knows Montgomery too?" asked Skylor.

"Yeah. He works in a tea shop run by Montgomery's father and uncle," Nya said to avoid mentioning anything ninja related. "He's basically adopted the kid."

"Anyone who spends five minutes with that kid will basically adopt him," said Kai jokingly.

Skylor had to laugh at that. "I guess he's more like Lloyd than just his looks. Don't know why everyone thought he was evil. I haven't known him long, but from what I've seen he's like a cute puppy I just want to protect."

Skylor had no idea why Nya sent her brother a pointed look at that remark, or why Kai looked so approving.

With a '_ding'_ the elevator let them off on the twins' floor, and they headed for their apartment with Skylor trailing behind.

The redhead couldn't help but wonder what would await her when she entered that door. The last time she had been there, it had only been Kai, Nya and Red home, and she had yet to meet the twins' parents.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't scared about it.

Twenty minutes later, Skylor found she had nothing to worry about.

As it was, she was sitting on the couch next to the twins' mother as she showed her Kai and Nya's baby pictures while their father asked her what her favorite meal was so he could cook it for her.

It was honestly much more pleasant than anything her father would ever do, even if Kai looked mortified and Nya was laughing at his expense. Skylor wasn't sure if they were putting on a show for her or not, but so far the entire thing had been surprisingly nice.

"Mom, Skylor doesn't need to hear about the mud fight Nya and I had when we were three," Kai complained as his mother, Maya, showed her a picture of mud-covered toddlers.

"Oh, but you were so cute," said Maya in a tone that said she knew exactly how much she was embarrassing her son and was enjoying the heck it.

Kai just shot her a dirty look and grumbled that his mother was as bad as Nya.

Somewhat taking pity on Kai, Maya skipped past the rest of the baby pictures and showed Skylor a page showing Kai and Nya looking about six or seven years old alongside a kid who looked remarkably like Montgomery but with a different haircut.

"Is that Lloyd?" Skylor asked. "I knew he and Montgomery look alike, but wow! You sure he's not a clone."

"Very sure," Maya said. "This is when Kai and Nya met Lloyd for the first time." She then gave Skylor a mischievous wink. "Or, should I say, when they first time they tried to kidnap him."

"What?" asked Skylor in surprise.

"_Mom!"_ Kai complained, and next to him Nya looked sheepish.

"Why would you try to kidnap Lloyd?" Skylor asked, feeling bewildered.

"We weren't kidnapping him, we were _rescuing_ him!" Kai protested.

"He told us his dad was Garmadon, who was, you know, evil at the time and we thought just by taking him home with us we could adopt him," Nya explained.

"You do know adoption doesn't work like that," said Skylor in amusement.

"They do _now_," Ray called over from the kitchen.

Kai scowled and slumped in a chair. "It worked for Mr. Nakamura's dog," he grumbled. "We were seven, sue us."

Skylor giggled into her hands.

"They've always been like this," Maya said fondly. "Finding people who need them and making them family, whether the object of their adoption plans wants them to or not."

The twins exchanged bewildered looks. "What are you talking about, Mom?" asked Nya.

"You really haven't noticed?" called Ray. "You two adopt almost every sad kid you come across. Like Lloyd."

"And Jay," agreed Maya.

"And Zane."

"Cole."

"Lil… Montgomery."

"And Spike and Red," finished Maya. "How many of them have you adopted and declared them your brother or sister."

Kai and Nya exchanged another glance, and in unison said, "Huh. Never noticed before."

Ray let out a laugh in the kitchen. "You kids call all of them 'bro' or 'sis', how did you not know?"

"It just felt natural," said Nya with a shrug.

Skylor grinned at their antics, but her smile hid a bittersweet feeling inside. Her initial worries about them putting on an act of being the perfect family had subsided. All this was too... genuine. She hasn't thought families like this existed outside of TV shows. Being taken into a family like this sounded like a dream come true. Not that something like that would ever happen to her.

Then Maya's voice cut through her thoughts. "And now you're adopting another stray, aren't you?" she teased while patting Skylor on the shoulder.

Wait, WHAT?

The looks on Kai and Nya's faces made it clear that this was indeed the case, even if the two were only just realizing it themselves.

Skylor was… speechless.

When she started this mission it was just supposed to be another job. More of her doing her father's dirty work. She gets close, copies their powers and ideally learns their secrets and weaknesses, and then get out so her father's plan would go unimpeded.

She wasn't supposed to get attached. And even when she knew she was starting to like them, she had no idea she'd get _this_ attached.

Kai and Nya regained themselves enough to chatter about this new realization, but Skylor barely heard it. She suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to _warn_ them. To tell them of her mission and admit to everything that was coming. No matter what they thought of her afterward, she _wanted_ to tell them the truth.

Skylor opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word, the mental image of both the twins lying dead at her feet flashed before her eyes with her father and Clouse leering at her over them.

Her mouth snapped back shut, and she kept silent. If she told them and they attempted to stop her father's plan at this stage, he would kill them without hesitation. It was only by staying in his good graces and completing her mission that Skylor had any hope of swaying him to spare their lives once it was all over.

As the warm, inviting family chatted around her, Skylor faked a smile and kept up her act, forcing down the ache to tell them the truth. She had a mission to complete.

At least now she had a lead as to why the power of Green wasn't responding to her.

If Lloyd could use it fully with his True Potential, then perhaps it was time she found hers.

* * *

Lil'Loyd's eye cautiously cracked open.

Around him, Luh-Loyd, Zane, and Echo remained asleep in their beds and futons.

With a mischievous grin, Lil'Loyd climbed out of his futon and tip-toed out of the room.

He was still pretty miffed at Luh-Loyd and Zane's insistence they actually follow the bedtime his mom had set. It was even earlier than when he usually went to bed! This was a sleepover! Sleepovers were supposed to be fun and sleep be minimal.

So Lil'Loyd decided to show his frustrations in the way he knew best.

Pranks.

Let's see how Luh-Loyd and Zane felt about actually _sleeping_ at sleepovers when they woke up with whip cream mustaches and beards.

Using his ninja training (which was _great_ for committing pranks), Lil'Loyd crept into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and grabbed the can of whipped cream from inside.

Suddenly, a loud screeching sound behind him cause Lil'Loyd to jump and spin around.

Sitting on the kitchen table was one of the weird computer screens that Zane and Echo called 'Mom', and it was currently making loud dial-up noises at him.

Fearing being caught, Lil'Loyd quickly put the can back in the refrigerator and hurried over to the screen to try and find the mute button.

"Shh, shhh, you'll get me caught," Lil'Loyd hissed as he scrambled to find a way to stop the noise.

If anything, his words made it screech louder.

Just as Lloyd was about to bolt back to bed, a voice called out behind him.

"Lil'Loyd, what pray tell, are you doing?"

Busted!

Turning around quickly, Lil'Loyd gave Prof. Julien his most innocent smile. "Oh, I was just thirsty and came to get a drink of water."

The computer screeched again behind him, and Lil'Loyd had to fight not to cover his ears.

Prof. Julien, however, frowned as he listened to the sound, before fixing Lil'Loyd with a stern look. "Really? Then why does she," he asked, nodding to the computer, "tell me you were taking the whipped cream out of the refrigerator?"

Double busted!

Despite that, Lil'Loyd couldn't help but look over at the computer screen curiously. He'd never actually believed it was actually Zane's Mom or anything other than a weird computer, but… how else would Prof. Julien know what he was really doing? "How'd you know?" he asked.

"She told me," Prof. Julien said, gesturing to the computer, which gave an agreeing chirp. Seeing Lil'Loyd's continued confusion, he explained. "She is actually my first A.I. program. I developed her together with a friend. _**M**__achine learning __**O**__riginal __**M**__odule._ M.O.M. for short. Without her, creating Nindroids like Zane and Echo would not have been possible, and that, along with her name, is why those two consider her their mother."

"But it-she doesn't talk," Lil'Loyd said. "She just makes that noise."

The computer let out an irritated sounding buzz.

"Just because you cannot understand what she is saying, doesn't mean she is not speaking clearly," said Prof. Julien in amusement. "She only speaks in binary, I'm afraid. The language of machines and computers. To the untrained ear, it merely sounds like noise."

Lil'Loyd's eyes lit up in interest. "So it's like a secret language?" he asked. "That's so cool!"

Zane's Mom let out a flustered sounding warble.

"And you can understand it?" asked Lil'Loyd.

"That I can," said Prof. Julien, patting the computer screen fondly. "Mom has definitely been a great help in raising Zane and Echo, and I couldn't do it nearly as well without being able to understand her." He then sent Lil'Loyd a wink. "She's also good at sending secret messages. No one but me or my sons could understand them."

"Cool!" Lil'Loyd said again, looking at the computer with new eyes.

Said computer then gave another screech, to which Prof. Julien nodded and turned back to Lil'Loyd. "Right now, no more dodging the question, why were you after the whipped cream?" he asked.

Oh yeah, he was still busted.

Lil'Loyd hung his head sheepishly, and admitted, "I was, uh, gonna give Luh-Loyd and Zane funny mustaches and beards… maybe eyebrows too."

There was a beat of silence before Prof. Julien snorted with laughter, and Zane's mom let out a chattering sound Lil'Loyd could only assume was giggling.

Lil'Loyd could only pout in indignation in response.

"As amusing as that would look," Prof. Julien said when he recovered from his laughter, "I'm afraid we can't let you do that." He then moved to the door and waved for Lil'Loyd to follow. "Come on, young one, back to bed with you."

Lil'Loyd sighed in disappointment but dutifully followed behind him, stifling a yawn as he did so. All that excitement had made him sleepy.

Seeing the yawn regardless, Prof. Julien smiled and said, "Get some rest. From what Zane's told me, it sounds like you'll need it."

Tucked back into his futon, Lil'Loyd allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, Skylor's guilt is growing by the day. She almost spilled everything to them, but fear of what Chen would do kept her quiet. She's still banking on her getting enough pull with her father that he'll reward her with her friends' lives rather than kill them off as part of his scheme. It's not a great plan, but it's currently all she's got. To clarify, in the bit about Prof. Julien making M.O.M. with a friend, that friend was Borg. The two of them send secret messages to each other using binary to keep in touch, but not too often to avoid being caught.
> 
> Massive thanks to Kay Hau for helping with this chapter. The part with Lil'Loyd pranking the others and learning more about M.O.M. was her idea. It was originally going to be a Greener Pastures chapter, but she thought it'd be a good fit here. She also was a great help in planning the Skylor half of the chapter.
> 
> Next Time: With the Ultra Dragon still a no show, the Show Ninja take the initiative to start combating the Nindroids without Lloyd, only to run into a nasty surprise.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Ultra Dragon still a no show, the Show Ninja take the initiative to start combating the Nindroids without Lloyd, only to run into a nasty surprise.

_Show Ninjago_

When the Ultra Dragon failed to reappear after an hour of waiting, the Ninja realized they must be resting in the Other Ninjago.

Knowing they couldn't just sit back and let Pythor's new army run amok until the dragon returned, the team decided to take action without their smallest member.

And so, with Sensei Garmadon and Misako remaining behind at Steep Wisdom for the return of the dragon, the Ninja, their sensei, and Pixal all boarded the Bounty and flew in the direction of Ed and Edna's Scrap n' Junk.

"Tell me, why are we going to a junkyard when we should be returning to Ninjago City as soon as possible?" asked Pixal as they flew.

"Even if these Nindroids are not as strong as Pythor thinks they are, they will still outnumber us by a good bit, will they not?" said Sensei Wu.

Pixal's face fell. "By my calculations of the amount of parts and materials within Borg Industries at the time of their manufacturing and the amount of time that has passed for them to be built by this point… " she said, her eyes gleaming with calculations. Reaching the conclusion, she nodded and said, "Yes, they will outnumber you by a lot."

"Then without Lloyd around to shut them down, we'll need an edge to fight them off until he gets here," explained Cole.

"And at the junkyard we have some mechs and vehicles prepared so we can fight those odds," added Nya. "Plus I left my Samurai X mech there for a tune-up."

Jay let out a nervous chuckle. "Still, uh, when you say they outnumber us by a lot, how much is _a lot?"_

"I sent my falcon ahead to patrol around the city," said Zane, moving to plug himself into the monitor. "We can observe the situation and see exactly how much is 'a lot'."

They looked at the screen and were dismayed to see the city was now crawling with robotic ninjas. The civilians were holed up in their homes in fear, rarely daring to come out. Thankfully, the Nindroids seemed mostly uninterested in them unless they got in their way. There were also multiple small mechs, flying cars, and jets patrolling the streets and skies.

"The Nindroids must have been able to access Borg's systems!" Pixal said when she saw them. "They took control of his experimental vehicles to increase their ranks." Her face then fell even further. "It was my blueprints," she said in realization. "As Cyrus Borg's assistant, I have access to all the company's systems. The Nindroids must have gained that access when they were built!"

"Great, so now the bad guys have mechs too," Jay groused.

"All the more reason to get ourselves some firepower so we can strike back," said Kai, looking perfectly ready to take out his dislike of technology on technology while using technology. The irony of it all was completely lost on him.

"Borg Industries' machines are top of the line with the latest technology," said Pixal, more than a little worried. It was her father's life on the line after all. "Do you believe the mechs you have in your possession will suffice?"

Jay let out another laugh, though his one was more assured. "Trust me, they're like nothing you've ever seen. And if I know Luh-Loyd, they're also stuffed to the brim with missiles."

Pixal stared at him in bewilderment. "_Luh_-Loyd?" she asked.

* * *

When they finally reached the junkyard (and were greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Walker, who were both very friendly), Pixal didn't know whether she should be dismissive or amazed at the machines they had scattered about. They were _far_ from top-of-the-line machinery and instead looked like cobbled together pieces of half the junkyard into vaguely dragon-shaped vehicles. All logic within her told her there was no way they would work.

And yet… they _did!_ Each slapdash machine performed just as well as any of her father's inventions. Some even worked better than the mechs he had created. "How are these amalgamations of mechanics even functional?" she asked.

"Through the power of Master Building," called Jay as he climbed into the closest mech with a blue color-scheme that he claimed to have built himself.

Pixal blinked her optics at him in confusion. "That explanation does not compute," she told him.

"It's a special skill a friend of ours has," explained Zane as he climbed into a draconic helicopter. "He built us all of this and taught Jay, Nya, and myself how to make them as well." The White Ninja then called to the others he was doing a test run, before taking to the air and doing laps around the junkyard.

Pixal frowned at his progress, before turning to the other remaining Ninja. "You do not have sufficient training to use these vehicles?" she asked.

"Hey, we've practiced with them a bit," said Kai somewhat defensively as he climbed into a red dragon-shaped jet to prepare for his own test ride. "We just haven't had an excuse to really use them until now. Fighting in them is a first for us."

"Not for me!" Nya called cheerfully as she waited near her Samurai X mech, already proficient in using it.

In his mech, Jay was flexing its arms and weapons controls. "I had a reason to use them," he grumbled bitterly.

From where he was about to get into a vehicle that seemed to be a combination of a combat jeep and a tank (and like most other vehicles, was dragon-shaped), Cole let out a tired sigh, and said, "No, Jay, you can not use mechs to track down who Nya's perfect match is."

"But I gotta know who it is!" Jay protested loudly.

While unsure why Jay believed the mech would help him locate Nya's perfect match (especially considering the object of his search was right there), Pixal opened her mouth to give him the information he was seeking.

Seeing her do so, Kai and Nya shared a panicked look, before Kai jumped back out of his jet in an attempt to run and stop her without alerting Jay, while Nya hid behind her mech for fearing the worst.

"-So I can smash him to bits for stealing my girlfriend!" Jay continued before Pixal could even get a word out, stomping his mech's massive foot to emphasize his point.

Pixal froze, her mouth still open but no sound coming out. Seeing this, Kai slowed his pace and approached more subtly, and Nya peeked back out of her hiding place.

Cole shook his head at Jay's antics. "Look, Jay," he said. "I'm all for helping you find this guy. And when we do, you're free to go nuts. But using a mech on him is overkill."

Jay pouted in his mech's cockpit. "I can still zap him, right?" he asked while holding up a hand full of electricity.

"Sure thing, buddy," said Cole rolling his eyes fondly. "I'll even trap him in rocks if you want. Give you an easy shot."

Jay's expression turned to a satisfied grin. "And that is why you're my best friend," he said. "You're willing to help no matter what, _unlike SOME people!"_ he added pointedly, shooting a glare at Kai.

Hearing that, Pixal shut her mouth with an audible '_click!'_

"Leave me out of this!" Kai called back as he came to stand beside Pixal. "I'm _so_ not getting between you and my sister."

Jay let out a loud, "Hrmph!" and stomped away in his mech to do some quick target practice before they left, and Cole drove after him in his jeep-tank.

Once they were out of earshot, Kai leaned over to Pixal and whispered, "Do us a favor and _don't_ tell Jay Nya's perfect match results told her Cole. He would _not_ take it well."

"I… can see that," said Pixal. "Still, would it not be better for Nya to be with her perfect match?"

"Uh, I can make my own decisions, thanks," said Nya, coming over to them. "And for now I'm not dating anyone. I'm not convinced Cole's my perfect match anyway."

"But your results say-" Pixal started to say.

"That thing uses internet activity to make its matches, right?" said Nya.

"Yes," said Pixal in confusion.

"Kai and I lived without internet in the boonies until we moved in with Sensei Wu, Jay lived out here his entire life, and Cole lied and did something he hated for years to please his father," listed Nya.

Pixal was silent for a long moment. "Those are large gaps of information to take into consideration," she finally said. "Perhaps there may indeed have been an error in the Perfect Match's calculations."

Hearing that, Nya let out a sigh of relief she hadn't even realized she'd been holding, and Kai nodded like he was unsurprised. "Like I said, can't count on technology for that," he said. "Some things you just gotta do the old fashioned way."

Pixal opened her mouth to reply, but a loud cry cut her off.

They all wheeled around to see the trailer Jay called home was being lifted into the air by a large electromagnetic attached to a crane. Through the still-open door of the trailer, the three could see Edna's frightened face as she tried to keep her footing as her home was swinging around, and from the sound of shouting within, Ed and Wu were there too.

Looking at the piloting station of the crane, they caught sight of a short figure in black and purple glaring at them from beneath a ninja hood with glowing red eyes.

"The Nindroids!" shouted Pixal in alarm.

Just as she shouted that another one appeared on top of a pile of scrap, and began shooting laser eyes at the trailer, burning a hole in the side.

"Looks like we'll have to learn on the job!" shouted Kai, already racing to his jet. "We've gotta save them!"

Unaware of how many other Nindroids were around, and knowing she couldn't leave defenseless Pixal to fend for herself, Nya grabbed the android girl's wrist and pulled her over to her Samurai X mech. Hopping into the pilot seat, she pressed the button to make Wu's seat on her mech pop out at the shoulder. "Hop on," she called to Pixal.

Pixal didn't hesitate to climb into the seat, and Nya was quick to pilot her mech in the direction of the Nindroid shooting at the trailer.

"TIMBER!" Nya shouted, using her mech's sword to cut through the pile of scrap, causing it to topple over and bury the Nindroid beneath it. Kai used his jet's missiles to set the pile on fire for good measure.

The Nindroid driving the crane let out a loud angry warbling sound at the sight of it, and made the crane spin faster, inciting another yell from the occupants within.

"LEAVE MY PARENTS ALONE!" came a loud shout, and Jay's mech came racing in before clothesline tackling the crane, rattling the entire thing and causing the Nindroid within to go tumbling out.

The trailer immediately stopped spinning but it was still hanging in the air by the magnet. Thankfully, Ed and Edna came flying out of it a moment later wearing jetpacks and carrying Sensei Wu out between them.

They landed on the ground, and Jay had his mech stomp over to them, his face concerned. "Are you guys alright?" he asked.

"Aw, we're fine, son," said Ed brightly.

"As ya can see, we're prepared for any occasion," agreed Edna just as cheerfully as she gestured to her jetpack.

"We'll just get out of your way now so ya can deal with these hooligans," said Ed as the two hurried to their old jalopy. "Best of luck, son."

"WATCH OUT!" came another shout.

They all turned to see Cole's tank-jeep smash into a flying car that had been making a beeline to crash into Ed and Edna only a second ago, they both crashed into the jalopy, and while Cole's vehicle was none the worse for wear, the other two were totaled.

"_They appear to be after the two of you," _said Zane as his helicopter returned and began hovering protectively over them. "_I would suggest you relocate to safer premises."_

"Don't hafta tell us twice," said Ed, who was now looking shaken at his second brush with death of the day.

"Come with me," said Sensei Wu, waving them in the direction of the Bounty. "We will escape in the Bounty.

The Walkers hurried to follow him. As they went, Ed said, "Take a note, Edna. Remind me to fix all this once Jay's cleared up these whippersnappers."

"Will do, Ed," Edna replied as she raced up the gangplank and the ship took to the skies.

It was even more clear Ed and Edna were the targets, as more flying cars and Borg vehicles full of Nindroids appeared and attempted to give chase.

"_Why the heck are these things after my parents?!" _Jay asked as he worked to smash anything that even tried to get close to his family.

"_If I were to guess, Pythor has put them up to this," _said Zane as he and Kai were engaged in a dog fight against Borg company jets in the skies.

"But why?" asked Nya as she rocketed around with Pixal clinging to her seat. "Why would anyone want to attack sweet ol' Ed and Edna. They're some of the nicest people in Ninjago."

"_Aw, thanks," _said Jay, happy at the praise for his parents.

"_I'd put money on bait,"_ Kai called as his dragon-jet blasted another flying car out of the sky. "_Pixal said Pythor has it in for us. What better way to lure us into a trap than to go after our families."_

Within his vehicle, Cole paled. "_Pythor knows about my dad!"_ he said worriedly. "_From the talent show! __He could have Nindroids going after him as we speak!"_

"_And if he has been stalking our visits to Borg Industries, then he will know of my father and brother as well!"_ said Zane, sounding just as concerned.

"_Misako and Garmadon too, if he really wants revenge on Lloyd,"_ added Kai.

"_Worry not for my brother and Misako, they are more than capable of defending themselves, and will notify us if they need aid," _said Wu over the Bounty's radio. "_I will take the Bounty to Cole's father's residence with some of you accompanying us. The rest of you make your way to the Juliens to ensure their safety."_

"_What about the junkyard?"_ asked Jay, worried about his home as it was still being sieged by various machines.

Pixal spoke up, "If the Nindroids are truly here for your parents, which seems to be a likely scenario, then taking them away from this place will prompt the Nindroids to lea- AH!"

As she had been talking, a Nindroid had managed to climb up onto another scrap pile, and take a surprise shot at the Samurai X mech.

Being so high up, the mech was blown off course and sent spinning through the air. While Nya fought to regain control, Pixal felt herself be flung free of the seat and hurdle towards a particularly jagged pile of metal.

"PIXAL!" came a shout she vaguely recognized as Zane, but she barely heard it. She was too busy trying to see a place she could hook with her grapple to halt her descent, but everything was a blur as she tumbled.

Mere feet from the jagged metal, a white shape was suddenly between her and certain destruction, and a hatch slid open to catch her as she fell right in.

Pixal crashed into the white shape before it suddenly jerked and completely changed its center of gravity.

"Are you alright, Pixal?" asked Zane just ahead of her, and Pixal finally realized Zane had flown his helicopter on its side to catch her.

"You saved me again," she said, more than a little overwhelmed by her near brush with death. "Thank you."

"As I said before," said Zane, sparing a kind glance in her direction. "You are worth the risk."

Pixal wasn't sure what this warm feeling within her was, but she liked it.

Outside the helicopter, Nya managed to regain control over her mech, and called over the radio. "_I'm okay! Is Pixal alright?"_

"She's fine," Zane replied, turning his helicopter away from the junkyard. "I'm heading to see my father and brother."

"_Great!" _said Kai, bringing his jet up beside them. "_I'll come with._"

"_I'm headed to my dad's," _said Cole from below, revving his engine to drive away.

"_Hang on, Cole, I'll go with you,"_ said Jay attaching his mech to the back of Cole's tank before it sped off.

"_Then Nya will go with Zane and Kai,"_ said Sensei Wu as he drove the ship after Cole.

"_So where are we going to put them? We can't exactly bring our folks along when we take back the city," _said Jay as they went their separate ways.

"_I'm sending you guys the coordinates of my secret Samurai X Cave,"_ said Nya. "_You can go there after you get Cole's dad. They should all be safe there."_

"_Secret cave?"_ asked Jay, sounding heartbroken. "_I thought we knew everything about each other."_

"_Well, a girl's gotta have her secrets," _said Nya.

"_Then we'll meet at the cave and then figure out what we'll do about Ninjago City,"_ said Cole, assuming command. "_Meet you guys there."_

"_Right!"_ everyone else agreed.

Despite having a plan in mind, Pixal didn't miss the way Zane's hands were gripping the steering wheel of the helicopter with more force than necessary. "You worry for them," she said she said as she shifted into a more comfortable position next to his pilot seat.

Zane gave a small jerk of surprise. "Yes," he replied. "For so long I thought my father was dead, and I did not even know of Echo's existence. It feels as though I have only just gotten them. I… do not want to lose them."

Pixal turned over his words in her head.

Want.

Before her talk with Cyrus Borg, she had not thought that was something she was allowed. She was just an assistant android. Her wants were not necessary, but now…

"I… do not want to lose my father as well," she said, allowing herself the desire. Turning to look at him, she said firmly, "We will save them."

Zane sent her a grateful look.

But minutes later, Zane's expression shifted to devastation at the sight of burning remains of a house. Pixal knew without him telling her, that it belonged to his father.

The Nindroids had reached there first.

Pulling his mask over his face, Zane wasted no time channeling his ice powers to put out the flames, and Samurai X did the same by connecting to a nearby fire hydrant.

The second the flames were out, Zane was out of the helicopter and running as quickly as he could to the ruins.

Pixal trailed behind him with Kai and Nya following soon after, searching the remains as best they could.

"Father!" called Zane as he searched. "Echo! Answer me!"

At first, there was no response, which only caused Zane to become more frantic.

Then, a small toy-like machine came wheeling out of hiding over to him.

"Gizmo!" said Zane, hurrying over to the robot. "Where are Father and Echo."

The machine did an automatic about-face and began rolling away, and Zane hurried to follow it, the rest not far behind

That's when they heard it.

"Big… Brother…?" a small echoing voice called.

Zane's head snapped around in the direction the voice had come from, and he ran there as fast as he could.

Lying behind a shed in what had been the house's backyard was Echo.

Pixal gasped at the sight of him and Nya let out a cry of dismay, causing her brother to wrap his arms around her to comfort her.

Zane just fell to his knees at his brother's side and began fumbling for his clock's wind-up key. While his torso and head seemed undamaged, the poor younger Nindroid had been ripped limb from limb, and the slow clicking of his gears indicated he would shut down if he was not wound soon. Something Zane hastened to do

Once Echo's clockwork parts were functioning again, Zane carefully reached down to cradle his brother in his arms.

"I couldn't stop them," said Echo, sounding like he would cry. "They took Father, and I- I couldn't stop them!"

"We will save him," Zane assured him gently, already reaching to reattach Echo's limbs. "We will fix you, my brother."

Echo's face turned bitter. "The leader, Cryptor, he said I was out of date. Flawed. Nothing but useless trash. That they were the newer models, and they were better than me."

Zane froze and seemed at a loss for words in outrage on his brother's behalf.

Despite wondering if this was not her place, Pixal slowly stepped forward and finished reattaching the limb Zane had been working on. "They were wrong. You are not flawed. They are," she said softly, making both Nindroids turn to look at her. "We will save them," she repeated.

Zane again sent her a grateful smile, and Echo gave her a searching look but seemed less distraught.

"You're darn right we will," agreed Nya as she came over to help reattach limbs as well.

"Count on it," Kai added, carrying over a leg that had been flung farther away than the rest.

With their combined help, Echo's limbs were once again attached, and they helped in into Zane's helicopter.

A moment later they were taking off and flying away as fast as they could.

As soon as Echo was safe, they would save them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, things are not going well over in the show worlds, and it's going to get worse before it gets better. Poor Echo, I'm sorry for being so mean to him, but given what the Nindroids did to Zane in the show, the poor little guy didn't stand a chance. Now Dr. Julien is captured along with Cyrus Borg, and they're not much closer to rescuing them without Lloyd there. On a lighter note, the scene where Pixal is about to spill the beans to Jay about who Nya's real perfect match is, only to stop after hearing Jay's revenge plans and that Cole is his best friend was planned since the start of the fic. I thought it'd be funny, especially with the knowledge we all have of what would have happened if she didn't keep her mouth shut. Fortunately, Jay hasn't thought to ask Pixal for his name, and Pixal's definitely not telling him now. After that, the fight borrows somewhat from the junkyard fight in the show, only differently since they all have vehicles to fight back with this time.
> 
> Special thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading and helping plan this chapter. She was a really big help.
> 
> Next Time: Koko and the Lloyds make their return to Orouboros to speak to the Serpentine King. While there, Lil'Loyd has a play date with the prince but is he set to make a new friend... or enemy?


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Koko and the Lloyds make their return to Orouboros to speak to the Serpentine King. While there, Lil'Loyd has a play date with the prince but is he set to make a new friend... or enemy?

_Movie Ninjago_

When Koko arrived at the Julien residence the next morning, the sun hadn't even risen yet, nor would it for a long while.

She chuckled at the sight of her two sleepy sons stumbling out of the Juliens' house and into her car as she drove them to the mech warehouse to fly to Ouroboros. Fortunately, Luh-Loyd perked up after getting some coffee in him (good thing too, since he was going to be driving the mech), but Lil'Loyd was too young to drink it and thought it tasted gross anyway, so he kept almost nodding off. Koko made a mental note to keep a firm grip on him during the flight so as not to let him fall off.

As they arrived at the warehouse, the sound of Koko's car awoke the sleeping giants still there. Meowthra stretched and got to her feet to wander off, and the Ultra Dragon ruffled their wings and looked around blearily as they approached.

Lil'Loyd stopped to pet Ultra's four heads as they passed, saying, "You can go back to our Ninjago if you want. This might take a while."

The Ultra Dragon shook themself and prepared to fly off, but was stopped when Meowthra reappeared and dropped a giant mouse creature (the people of neither Ninjago knew where she got these things to eat, but many speculated they were from her original world) in front of Ultra, and looked at them expectantly.

Lil'Loyd snickered at the sight. "I take it back," he said. "You can go back to our Ninjago _after_ you eat your breakfast."

Flame the fire head, gave a huff of annoyance and bumped against Lil'Loyd in response, but all four heads began to dig into their meal.

Not wanting to see that, Koko and her sons hurried into the warehouse and climbed aboard the Green Dragon Mech, and flew out of the roof.

Next stop, Ouroboros.

* * *

Fortunately, flying through the desert before the sun came up was cooler than during the day, though they were sure to be in for that kind of flight when they returned.

The city was just waking up as the guards escorted them through the city. Vendors were opening their stalls and waved as they walked past. Some Serpentine joggers paused to stare at them as they walked by. Serpentine children on their way to school pointed and chattered curiously when they caught sight of them.

One, in particular, stood out to them as she waved to them. "Hi, Green Ninja!" called Poisinthia the little Fangpyre girl, who looked to be in the capital as part of a school trip (one with extra chaperones to avoid any more kidnappings).

Recognizing her, Luh-Loyd smiled back and returned the wave. "Hi, Poisinthia. Nice to see you again," he said as they passed.

Poisinthia beamed back, and the rest of her school group gaped as they looked rapidly back and forth between her and Luh-Loyd, before crowding around the little Fangpyre excitedly, all asking questions and with several exclamations of, "The Green Ninja knows your _name!"_

Just before they were out of earshot, they all heard her reply, "Of course he does. He saved my house."

Koko snickered at that exchange. "I believe you just made that little girl the most popular one in her class."

Luh-Loyd cracked a smile at that. "Technically, Cole saved her house. I just pulled her out of the fire."

"Shouldn't Kai have done that?" asked Lil'Loyd. "He is the Fire Ninja."

Luh-Loyd let out a groan that said he'd heard that criticism many times by now and was more than tired of it.

Lil'Loyd and Koko just laughed at his expense.

This time, instead of going to the Royal Tombs, the guards who met them at the gates took them to the palace overlooking the Slither Pit in the center of the city.

"I guess that makes sense," Luh-Loyd muttered as they grew close. "They don't need to tell us about, uh, those weapons they don't want us to talk about."

Koko cracked a smile. "Also, it'd be easier to have a playdate if we go somewhere _other_ than an ancient tomb full of delicate artifacts," she whispered back.

Lil'Loyd snickered. "Yeah, it's easier to have fun if you can actually touch the things around you," he said. "Also the lack of dead bodies is nice."

(Another Serpentine jogger going by gave them a very worried look at that last comment)

The smile soon slid off his face as he looked up at the palace, and he grew contemplative. He was on his way to a playdate with the Prince of the Serpentine. It was something he'd never thought would happen. Even when he briefly had control over the Hypnobrai after releasing them, the snakes had remained wary of him and hadn't let him anywhere near their young. What would Skales' son be like? Could they be friends? If they hated each other would the prince throw him in the dungeon?

As always, Luh-Loyd seemed to just know when he was worried about something. "Just relax," he whispered. "If you don't get along you can come join me and Mom talking to the king."

Lil'Loyd sent him a small smile of thanks at that.

They were led through some lavishly decorated doors covered in colorful serpents and symbols of the sun. The rest of the palace was just as spectacular to look at. Intricate decorations covered the place, giving a heck of a first impression of the place.

The three ninja were led into the throne room, where King Skales, Queen Selma, and General Arcturus were waiting.

The queen greeted them with a warm smile. "Welcome," she said. "It isss ssso wonderful you could come."

Koko smiled, and all three of them bowed politely. "It was our duty to help," she said modestly. "Especially with innocents on the line."

"We have heard tell of you managing to thwart an attack on a far off village sssome nightsss ago," said King Skales. "Our thanksss for protecting our people."

"However, we have hope you can ssspread sssome more light onto thossse eventsss, as they have become mired by gossssip," added General Arcturus. He chuckled and added, "There are even rumorsss of the Green Ninja getting engaged after that fight."

King Skales rolled his eyes at that. "Utterly ridiculousss, of course. The truth should be more enlightening."

Luh-Loyd turned red, and he could hear his family snickering beside him. "Yeah, that last part didn't happen, but the rest did," said Luh-Loyd. "My team and I have been investigating, and I have so much to tell you, your majesties."

"And we are eager to hear it," said Queen Selma. "But first-'' she waved to an attendant, who quickly bowed and hurried out of the room. "We mussst sssee to the little onesss."

Lil'Loyd let out a gulp and hoped he was about to meet a new friend and not a new enemy (he had far too many of those).

A moment later, a Venomari stepped into the room and announced, "Presenting, his royal highness, Prince Skales the Second!"

With that, the doors were opened all the way, and a young Hypnobrai boy wearing regal-looking robes and a circlet around his head entered the room with his head held high.

"SSSo," Prince Skales the Second said in a self-important drawl. "You are the human Charmer IronDragon took pity on." He looked Lil'Loyd up and down. "I thought you'd be taller."

Lil'Loyd scowled. On second thought, he might have just met a new enemy after all.

Still, Luh-Loyd squeezed his arm encouragingly.

Queen Selma sent her son a slightly scolding look before saying, "The children will begin their playdate in my son'sss playroom. It isss well guarded, and they will be sssafe there."

Koko looked bemused at the prince's introduction, but said, "That sounds fine if the kids are up to it."

"The playroom pleasesss me," said Skales the Second, still sounding pompous.

Lil'Loyd hesitated, but Luh-Loyd leaned down to whisper, "Get to know him before passing judgment. You and I know better than anyone that first impressions are never what you should judge by."

That was way too true, and Lil'Loyd had no argument for that. "And what if he really is that much of an ego-jerk?" he asked.

Luh-Loyd got an odd look on his face as he glanced at Prince Skales the Second, and replied, "For some reason I doubt it. I don't know why, but something about that kid reads as lonely to me. Give him a chance, and if you don't like him, just come back to us."

Lil'Loyd looked reluctant but trusted his counterpart's judgment, so he said out loud, "Okay, we can go to the playroom."

To his surprise, Prince Skales the Second's face lit up hearing that before he quickly schooled it into the same self-assured look he'd worn when he entered. That was either a sign that Luh-Loyd was right in his assessment, or that the prince was planning something and Lil'Loyd had just walked into some prank. Given his time at Darkley's, both options were possible.

As the guards escorted both of them out of the room, Lil'Loyd could hear his counterpart begin giving King Skales all they had discovered. "To start, your majesty, I'm afraid you've been had. Someone is trying to make you think there's some ancient evil out there, but the truth is a lot more modern…"

* * *

The playroom actually ended up being not bad. In fact, it was actually pretty cool.

Apparently, the Serpentine preferred active playing as opposed to quiet games. The entire playroom was basically one big obstacle course with everything from jungle gyms to a tunnel maze to crawl through. There were also toys of all kinds lining the shelves and even some Serpentine equivalents to board games sitting on a table in the corner of the room. There weren't any video games, which was a bummer, but the Serpentine's isolation didn't really allow for modern technology. All and all, Lloyd was impressed.

"This is so cool," he said, looking around and wondering what they could do first. The guards were positioned outside the room, so it was just the two of them.

Prince Skales the Second preened at his words. "It isss. Father made sure I had the bessst of everything in Ouroborosss," he bragged.

Lloyd twitched at the prince's ego but did his best to ignore it...

"What would a human like you want to do firssst?" asked Prince Skales the Second, turning to look at him.

… Even if the said prince was making it difficult.

Lloyd glanced around the room and was torn between the obstacle course or the board games. The obstacle course looked like the pure definition of 'training but _fun' _and he was just dying to see how fast he could run through it, but due to his family's game nights, he'd also gained a real love of board games and could see the prince had ones he'd never seen before. If he learned it first and introduced it next game night he might actually be able to beat Luh-Loyd and Koko.

Apparently, he was taking too long to decide, as Prince Skales the Second decided to take the time to brag, "No one hasss ever beat my ssspeed record in my play courssse."

Well, that settled it.

"You're on," Lloyd challenged. "I bet I can beat you."

Prince Skales the Second gave him a smirk. "Oh, you think ssso, do you?"

"Yeah, I _know_ so!" Lloyd said confidently. "I'm the Gr-" He cut himself off before he could announce himself as the Green Ninja, a title his counterpart held in this world, and quickly changed it to, "-Grrrreat, uh Energy Ninja!"

Prince Skales the Second looked at him in confusion. It was nice to see something other than smugness on his face. "Energy Ninja?" he asked.

It was Lloyd's turn to smirk as he cupped his hands and briefly summoned a ball of green energy.

Prince Skales the Second's eyes widened in amazement. "Whoa!" he said. He then shook his head and settled back into the same tune he'd been carrying the entire time. "SSStill, it will not sssave you!"

Lloyd glanced at the obstacle course and had to agree there. "Yeah, I guess blasting my way through would just break the course. That wouldn't be very fun."

The prince looked thrown off once again at the knowledge Lloyd would be able to do that, but once again tried to hide it behind bravado as he swaggered to the starting line. "Then on your mark, get ssset…"

Lloyd tensed and was prepared if the prince tried to cheat and run before saying the last bit, but was pleasantly surprised when he didn't start until he shouted, "GO!"

The two children raced through the course neck and neck. Prince Skales the Second had the advantage of undoubtedly having memorized the course after so many times on it, but Lloyd was no slouch either. This course was _nothing_ compared to spinjitzu training.

Before long, Lloyd started pulling ahead, even though he was occasionally slowed down by an unexpected obstacle, he was winning.

Until he wasn't.

He should have seen it coming, Darkley's was full of pit traps like this (though those had hard rocks at the bottom instead of what looked like satin cushions), but just before reaching the end, the ground gave way beneath him.

And so, there he was, the legendary Green Ninja, hanging by his fingertips in a pit of a play area trying desperately to pull himself up so he didn't fall down into the cushions below.

Prince Skales the Second had no such hindrance, having undoubtedly known about the pit trap beforehand, and leaped over it and Lloyd's dangling form.

But the second his feet touched the ground on the other side, the prince hesitated and glanced back at Lloyd's fingers peeking over the edge of the pit. Lloyd didn't really notice, as he was trying to get his feet to find traction to pull himself back up. But when he felt a scaly hand touch his wrist, _that_ he noticed.

Lloyd looked up to see Prince Skales the Second grab his wrist, and he had to wonder if the pompous prince was about to throw him down the pit.

Instead, to his utter surprise, the prince gave his arm a firm tug, not enough to pull him completely from the pit, but enough that he was able to get an elbow over the side and begin scrambling out with his own strength.

Despite running as fast as he could to the finish line after escaping, there was no way for Lloyd to make up the lead the prince had gotten on him.

Prince Skales the Second crossed the finish line first, with Lloyd only a few steps behind him, panting from that last sprint.

Prince Skales the Second, for his part, seemed thrilled at his victory. "Yesss!" he cheered. "I knew I could win!"

Lloyd blinked as he caught his breath, and looked at the serpentine prince curiously. That… didn't sound like bragging. That actually sounded like relief? Like he'd been worried he couldn't win and was stoked that he actually had.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "You sound like you've never raced in your own obstacle course before?"

The prince looked startled, then sheepish, then tried to hide those previous reactions and bring up the pompous act again.

"Just stop," said Lloyd before he could fully commit to the act. "If you're not as big-headed as you're making yourself out to be. Why act like a jerk?"

The prince actually wilted a little hearing that. "A jerk?" he asked. "That wasssn't what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" asked Lloyd.

Prince Skales the Second fidgeted for a moment, before admitting, "I've never met a human before. I wasn't sure how I was sssupposed to act. I asssked Father'sss generalsss, and they told me to show no fear."

"Well, you did that, but you also came off as an egomaniac," said Lloyd bluntly.

"Oh," said the prince, looking put out to hear that.

"So what did you mean that you knew you could win?" asked Lloyd, going back to the original question. "You sound like you've never raced this course before, but it's _your_ course."

Prince Skales the Second (he needed to get a nickname for this kid, that name was a mouthful) fidgeted even more, and muttered, "I've run the courssse plenty, but… I've never had anyone to race it with."

Lloyd blinked. "No one?" he asked.

Prince Skales the Second huffed in frustration. "No one that really triesss," he complained. "SSSometimes the kidsss of noblesss or the children of ssservents come by to play, but they're _boring._ They alwaysss _let _me win 'causssse I'm the prince, and they think they can sssuck up to me." He glanced over at Lloyd with a fanged grin. "You actually tried to win the race, and you're a _ninja_ if I can beat you-"

"Then you have to be pretty good," Lloyd finished, warming up to the prince already. Looks like Luh-Loyd had been right about him being lonely… Lloyd knew the feeling, and never wanted to go back.

"You need a nickname," he said, making Prince Skales the Second turn to look at him in bewilderment.

"What?" asked the prince.

"Your name's a mouthful," said Lloyd. "I can't keep calling you Prince Skales the Second in my head, it's too long."

Prince Skales the Second pouted. "Montgomery's not that short a name either," he said.

Lloyd had to hide a twitch at the mention of that name. He'd honestly forgotten the prince wouldn't know his real name. "Lil'Loyd," he said.

"What?" asked the prince again.

"Call me Lil'Loyd," Lloyd said. "It's a nickname I have 'cause I look like a smaller version of Lloyd, ya know, the Green Ninja. It's shorter than Montgomery at least."

Prince Skales the Second let out a snicker at the nickname.

"Yeah, laugh it up, I didn't pick the name," Lloyd said with a roll of his eyes. He then gave the prince a devious grin. "Not that my brother can talk, _his_ nickname is _Luh-_Loyd."

The serpentine prince threw back his head and laughed at hearing that.

"Skales Jr.," he said finally when he recovered from his laughter. "My parentsss and their generalsss call me Skales Jr., though the generalsss sometimesss shorten it to SSSJ when they try to be dissscreet."

"SJ, I can work with that," said Lloyd. Despite the rocky start, it looks like he'd made a new friend after all.

* * *

It took nearly an hour for the teenaged Lloyd and his mother to explain to the king and queen all that they had discovered since their initial meeting. Needless to say, the royals were furious to hear someone had been abducting their citizens and using their own legends as a cover for it.

"And you believe they ssseek the Golden Weaponsss?" asked King Skales his expression serious.

"It seems to be the likely target," said Koko. "It is unclear if the culprits are aware of the consequences of wielding all four at once, but even with just one, the damage they could cause would be great."

"We're working to track the stolen materials for the Snake Mech to find out who's behind it," said Lloyd. "But if you have any idea who could know enough about them to target you, that would narrow it down."

The king and queen exchanged a look as they contemplated the question.

"Many yearsss ago, the library where we keep our ancient legendsss and sssecrets was partially dessstroyed, and a wall to the vault where they were kept wasss breached," said Selma thoughtfully. "It was during the war againssst Garmadon, where you were defending usss," she said to Koko. "We had thought it wasss merely a casssualty of the battlesss. That anything missssing was due to the damage. However, it isss possssible, sssomeone usssed that opportunity to break in and sssteal the information."

Koko frowned at the reminder of those battles that led to her meeting Garmadon. "I barely left the battlefield during those times," she admitted. "But I remember there were a few other humans there to help in their own ways. I was the only one willing to fight for the Serpentine, but the others were merchants. People offering weapons and food for the Serpentine troops and villagers whose homes were destroyed during the fighting." Her mouth twisted sardonically at the memory. "For a price, of course."

"Which isss why while they were thanked for their effortsss and aid, they were not granted the title of Charmer sssuch as yourssself," said General Arcturus with a low chuckle.

"SSStill, it givesss usss a point from which to sssearch," said King Skales, turning to General Arcturus. "Contact thossse who took part in that battle and sssearch our merchantsss logsss from that time. SSSee if there isss any memory or record of thossse who were presssent."

"I'll sssee that it isss done, my king," said General Arcturus with a bow.

Before they could discuss anything more, a knock on the door had them all turning in distraction. At the king's word, the door opened, revealing an Anacondrai with red eyes and a blue jewel set into his forehead, and carrying some beverages on a metal tray.

"Terribly sssorry to interrupt, sssire," said the Anacondrai with a bow. "But young Massster Montgomery hasss requesssted the Green Ninja come to him. The poor boy ssseems quite dissstraught for sssome reassson."

Lloyd sighed hearing that. Looks like he'd been wrong, and his counterpart and the prince hadn't gotten along like he'd hoped. Turning to the king, he said, "If it's not too much trouble, your majesty, I'll go get him and calm him down. Montgomery's a good kid, it shouldn't take long."

King Skales chuckled good-naturedly. "Green Ninja, I am a father. I know well that even the bessst children can become upssset for whatever reassson. Take your time. You are our guessst here."

Lloyd bowed to him and hurried after the Anacondrai.

"If you don't mind my asking, what's with the drinks?" Lloyd asked conversationally as they walked through the palace.

The Anacondrai gave him a pleasant smile. "Oh, I'm basssically the equivalent of what you humansss call a sssecretary. I wasss tasssked with fetching the guardsss a drink when we heard the commotion. May as well kill two birdsss with one ssstone."

Considering that Koko had needed to work as a secretary often in her past jobs, Lloyd gave him a sympathetic smile knowing it could be a pretty thankless career.

When they reached the playroom, all was quiet, and the thirsty guards accepted their drinks with a hearty thank you to the Anacondrai, already sipping at them as they opened the doors.

Luh-Loyd stepped inside and was surprised to see Lil'Loyd and the prince sitting and playing a Serpentine board game that looked somewhat similar to chess but on a board a third of the size.

The younger blond looked up and smiled when he saw him. "Luh-Loyd!" he said waving brightly. "SJ was just teaching me how to play Senet. I hope you're ready for me to pound you and Mom at it next game night."

Prince Skales the Second (or SJ now, his brother was getting far too eager to give others nicknames) looked up at him with a boggled expression. "He'sss ssso good at it!" he said in disbelief. "He never played before and I jussst taught him! How isss he ssso good?"

This didn't make any sense. The two children seemed perfectly fine, and were getting along well enough for Lil'Loyd to grant the prince a nickname. Why would…

As Luh-Loyd tried to make sense of it, he saw Lil'Loyd's expression shift into one of horror and behind him, he heard the guards let out choking sounds and keel over. He turned around just in time to see the Anacondrai secretary swinging the drink tray at him before pain exploded in his head, and he crashed to the floor.

Fighting through the pain to stay conscious but unable to move or even open his eyes, he blearily felt his body be yanked upwards in a motion that made his head spin even worse, and the cold edge of a knife was placed against his neck.

"Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you," he heard the Anacondri say tauntingly into his ear, though he didn't seem to be speaking to him.

Managing to crack one eye open, Luh-Loyd saw why he'd said that. The blurry form of Lil'Loyd was standing defensively in front of the prince, his hands crackling angrily with his energy powers. But when the Anacondrai brought the knife closer to Luh-Loyd's neck, the energy dissipated.

"That'sss a good little boy," said the Anacondri smugly, dragging Luh-Loyd along as he backed the two children further into the room. "It'd be a shame to have to kill your dear big brother. But if you behave, I'll have no need to ussse thisss knife on him, and then on _you_."

"Pythor!" Lil'Loyd spat with a level of hatred Luh-Loyd hadn't heard from him before.

The Anacondrai froze, and through his pain addled brain, Luh-Loyd slowly recognized the name.

Pythor… The last Anacondrai of Lil'Loyd's world… The treacherous snake that kidnapped his little brother… The reason Lil'Loyd was still terrified of volcanoes… The thought of his counterpart being in that monster's clutches again set Luh-Loyd's blood boiling!

"It ssseems you've heard of me," Pythor hissed. "I'm not sure how, but no matter. It isss not as if you will be telling anyone."

Lil'Loyd growled deep in his chest, and the serpentine prince whimpered behind him.

He took the knife off Luh-Loyd's neck to reach over and push in a decoration on the playroom wall, opening up a secret passageway.

It finally sank in what was about to happen, and with the knife off his neck, Luh-Loyd forced himself to make a move.

Feeling as though he were moving through molasses, Luh-Loyd swung his fist up and slugged the Anacondrai in the eye. Pythor hissed in pain, but kept his grip on the Green Ninja, using the hand holding him up to slam him headfirst into the wall.

The last thing he heard was Lil'Loyd crying out his name before the world went black.

* * *

Poisinthia knew she was going to be in huge trouble when she got back to her class, but if she could, she had to see the Green Ninja again. He was just _so_ cool, and once she bit him and he became a Serpentine, he was sure to be very handsome too.

Having seen the Green Ninja and those he was with (Including Charmer IronDragon! So cool!) enter the palace, she snuck around the walls of the outer gate, hoping to find a way to sneak in and see him, or at least catch him as he came out.

Then, a few yards ahead of her, she saw a hidden door slide open. She quickly ducked behind a nearby corner and peered out at the opening.

A secret passage? Wow! That was sure to be the perfect way in!

Then, she was confused to see the young human who had been with the Green Ninja (his little brother, maybe?) step out of it followed by the prince of all people. What were they doing out here, and why did the human look so angry and the prince look so scared?

The answer became chillingly clear, as a big mean-looking Anacondrai appeared out of the door a moment later, carrying the limp body of the Green Ninja in his arms. Poisinthia was horrified to see blood dripping from the Green Ninja's head and a knife being held at his throat.

The mean Anacondri gestured with the knife towards a nearby carriage that seemed to be made of stone. "Get on!" he demanded to the Green Ninja's little brother and the prince. "And no funny busssiness," he added, once again putting the knife at the Green Ninja's throat. "Or elsssse."

The prince looked terrified and the Green Ninja's brother looked furious, but they did as he said and climbed into the back of the carriage. The Anacondrai threw the unconscious Green Ninja in after them and locked the carriage shut, before moving to the front and driving away.

The sight of them leaving spurred Poisinthia into action, and she took off after it as quickly as she could.

But sadly, the carriage was too fast for her short legs to keep up, and she soon lost it in the winding streets of Ouroboros.

With a sob in her throat, Poisinthia raced back in the direction of the palace.

She had to tell the guards! She had to tell Charmer IronDragon! She had to tell the _King!_

The prince, the Green Ninja, and his little brother had been _kidnapped!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, in the end it was both options. Lil'Loyd made a friend with SJ and an enemy with another Pythor. And now BOTH Lloyds and SJ are kidnapped, which is really not good, especially since Show Ninjago really needs their Lloyd back. At least now we know who Chen was talking about when he told Clouse to call the guy to do the thing. Pythor's been working as a spy within the Serpentine for him in hopes of somehow taking over with his help, which was bad news for these guys.
> 
> Big Thanks to Kay Hau for all her help planning and beta reading this chapter. The joke about Luh-Loyd getting engaged after fighting Chen's men was from her, referencing Posinthia's offer to marry him for her crush.
> 
> Next Time: His friends have been attacked, his brother's been hurt, his father's been captured. Needless to say, Zane has lost his cool.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His friends have been attacked, his brother's been hurt, and his father's been captured. Needless to say, Zane has lost his cool.

_Show Ninjago_

They managed to get Echo to Nya's hidden cave in one piece, but he was still very put out about all that had happened, rightfully so.

Still, it was just depressing to see Echo sit sullenly in the cave as they filled him and the other parents in on what was happening. The other group had managed to save Cole's father, Lou, from being taken as well thanks to him and his quartet performing a show in another city, meaning the only hostages the Nindroids had were Borg and Dr. Julien, a fact that weighed heavily on all the robotic members of their group.

Hoping to cheer him up, Nya was giving Echo a small tune-up to keep him better put together until they got Dr. Julien back, and explaining to Ed and Edna how to repair him and keep him wound up in the meantime, and Lou was offering to sing to him until he felt better.

Seeing the young Nindroid getting extra attention, Jay leaned over to Cole and asked suspiciously, "Do you think Nya has a thing for robots?"

Cole rolled his eyes and smacked Jay on the back of the head. "Not the time," he hissed. "Besides, despite his looks, Echo's barely older than Lloyd."

Jay's eyes narrowed at that. "Lloyd…" he muttered thoughtfully. "He's the legendary hero, or he's going to be. Is she saving herself for…"

Cole smacked him on the back of the head again before he even finished that thought, and this time Jay finally seemed to realize how irrational he was being and looked sheepish. "Sorry," he said, rubbing his head. "Thanks, I needed that."

"Any time," said Cole sincerely. His face then fell as Zane moved past them towards the entrance to the cave. "Wait, Zane? Where are you going?"

The look on Zane's face was cold in a way none of them had ever seen before. "I am going to Ninjago City," he said bluntly.

The rest of the Ninja and Pixal all exchanged a glance, before hurrying after him, and their parents watched them go with concern on their faces. Echo struggled to get up and follow, but with Ed and Edna still working on his legs, he was literally benched.

"Wait, hold on," said Kai as they caught up to the White Ninja. "You're not just going to storm in there, are you?"

"I am," Zane replied in a tone that left no room for argument. "I am going to Ninjago City, and I am going to rescue my father, Dr. Borg, and everyone else trapped there."

"You can't just march into the city and take them all on yourself," Nya protested.

"Watch me," Zane snapped forcefully, the air dropping noticeably in temperature the longer they tried to stall him.

His friends were taken aback. They had never seen Zane this angry before.

Sensei Wu tried to reason with him. "Zane, striking out in anger is never-"

"It is not anger, it is my purpose," Zane said, stopping long enough to round on his friends and look at them with anger and determination. "I was built to protect those who cannot protect themselves!" His face then fell. "But I could not protect my father. I could not protect my little brother. I refuse to stay here and continue to fail to do so. I am _going_ to Ninjago City."

With that, he turned on his heel and stormed over to his helicopter. His team exchanged glances again, knowing there was no way they could talk him out of this, and hurried for their own mechs and rides to follow suit.

Their families watched them go with worried looks, and Echo stared after them with a downtrodden expression.

Pixal, meanwhile, hurried after Zane as he began turning his helicopter on and prepared for lift-off.

Seeing her attempt to climb in, Zane's expression finally softened. "You should remain here, where it is safe," he said to her.

Pixal shook her head firmly as she made her way inside. "My father has been captured as well. I have as much reason as you to see him rescued. I will come and help in any way I can."

Zane couldn't argue with that and nodded. "Very well, but please, stay safe."

Sensei Wu was starting up the Bounty to go with them. "_The Bounty may be too large a target to take into the city, but I will keep it close to pull you out when needed."_

Zane gritted his teeth at the subtle jab that this plan would fail. He _knew_ it was rushed and reckless, but he was counting on that. From what Pixal had told him, and from what he had seen, the Nindroids ran on logic and would think he did the same. Logically, with such overwhelming forces as they had, a full-frontal attack such as this would be deemed too risky to even consider with the more emotional human members of the team's families safe. They were far more likely to expect them to attempt a more complicated and subtle plan to get the two doctors back, not something like this.

They had the element of surprise. They had the cover of darkness. This could work.

That's what Zane told himself as they approached the city.

Kai, ever one to lead the charge, especially when he was in the fastest vehicle they had, shot his jet forward and blasted the first nindroid controlled hovercar he saw.

The entire city seemed to freeze in surprise as the hovercar fell through the air and crashed into the street.

Taking advantage of that surprise, Zane, Kai, and Nya used their flying vehicles to continue shooting down enemy hover cars, planes and anything else they saw in the sky, while below Cole used his jeep tank to bash his way into the city, and Jay jumped his mech off the back to rumble with anything on the ground.

Unfortunately, with their processing power, the Nindroids weren't taken by surprise for long and quickly began to return fire.

"_It's like I'm playing a video game on ultra-hard mode,"_ they heard Jay call over the radio as the Nindroids began bringing out their own mechs to fight his.

Nya flew her Samurai X Mech down to back him up as the Nindroid Mechs closed in. "_I thought the Nindroids just took over anything with Borg Tech. Why does Borg have mechs?"_ she asked.

"Their primary use is for construction," said Pixal at Zane's side in the helicopter. "For lifting heavy materials and maneuvering on or under unstable facilities. They were not intended for combat."

"_Well they sure seem to be good at it,"_ said Cole as he used his jeep-tank to mow one of the mechs over.

Pixal didn't respond, but Zane could sense her mounting frustration at only being able to sit and watch while the rest of them fought.

"Would you take the steering controls," he offered her. "That way I may focus more on missile fire."

The female android sent him a grateful look, and with a quick switch of the seats, Zane was now fully manning the helicopter's missile controls while Pixal drove the aircraft.

Something Zane almost regretted a moment later, as Pixal drove like a maniac.

Finding himself clutching the controls more to keep from being flung around the cockpit more than shooting, Zane asked in a strained voice, "Would you rather switch roles?"

"That is unnecessary," said Pixal, her eyes glued outside of the windshield. "I am calculating the most successful route through this airspace to reach Borg Tower, where our fathers have the most probability of being held."

Considering they were approaching the tower a lot faster than when Zane had been driving and hadn't crashed yet, he conceded her point, and did his best to shoot down enemy aircrafts, and silently thanking the fact his father didn't build him with the ability to become motion sick.

The half-constructed building of Borg Tower was looming closer to them every second. Already, Pixal could see the window she had been thrown out of by Pythor after starting the Nindroid's construction.

Unfortunately for them, there were just too many Nindroids.

Pixal had to yank their helicopter back as a cloud of Nindroid controlled helicopters appeared and swarmed to cover the building like a force field with no way through without crashing into them. And while Zane could shoot them down to make their way through, he was hesitant to do so when they did not know where in the building the captives were. If he shot blindly at the building, they could accidentally hurt someone or worse.

They could get no closer, and the Nindroids knew it.

But they were so _close!_

Pixal let out a noise of frustration as she weaved the helicopter through the air, trying to both avoid fire and find a way past them, but it was no use.

And with their way forward so thoroughly blocked, the area behind them was closing in as well, as more Nindroids aircrafts began closing in on them.

They had to do something soon, or they would be shot out of the sky.

Then, over the radio, they heard a yell from Cole. "_I'm hit!"_ he shouted. "_My tank's lost too many pieces! I can't move!"_

"_My mech's not going to last much longer too!"_ said Jay. "_I've already lost an arm, and the other one's just hanging on!"_

"_Hang on, I'm coming!"_ called Nya.

"_Zane, I could really use some backup, here!"_ Kai called to them. "_These are some really unfriendly skies!"_

"_I will come to aid you all,"_ they heard Wu call.

Pixal and Zane exchanged a defeated glance. There was no way forward for them, and Zane's friends were in trouble. As much as it pained them to do so, they had to go back.

Pixal turned the helicopter around, and Zane made sure to keep their way clear as they flew back towards the others.

But as they left Borg Tower, Zane glanced back at it one last time, and through the swarm of enemy helicopters, he caught sight of a flash of white on the roof of the building.

There stood Pythor, watching them retreat with a smug look on his face.

The memory of Echo ripped to pieces in the middle of their ruined home flashed through Zane's mind, and knowing that _snake_ was responsible caused a sharp burn of anger to flow through him.

Reaching over, Zane opened the door on the side of the helicopter and leaned out of it just enough to send a small bolt of ice in Pythor's direction.

It wouldn't do any damage to the building if he missed, but Zane's aim was true.

Pythor's squawk at being coated in ice could be heard even at their distance and over the multitude of helicopter blades.

Not even feeling close to satisfied, Zane shut the helicopter and focused on helping him and Pixal move to safety.

When they reached the rest of the Ninja, they were surrounded on all sides by the Nindroids. Jay and Cole had had to abandon their vehicles when they were no longer usable and were helping civilians evacuate to the Bounty while a slightly battered Nya and Kai provided cover.

At the sight of them, Zane felt a stab of guilt. Despite his claims, he had been so focused on saving his father, it hadn't even occurred to him to try and help the other people of the city who became trapped when the Nindroids invaded, and from the look on her face, Pixal was feeling that too.

They quickly helped fight back the Nindroids until all the civilians they could find were loaded onto the Bounty, and provided cover as they escaped just as dawn broke.

Still, some hope was rekindled when on the flight away from the city, a call came over the radio.

"_Garmadon to Ninja!"_ said Sensei Garmadon. "_Return to Steep Wisdom as soon as you can! The Ultra Dragon has returned!"_

And with the Ultra Dragon came a way to reach Lloyd and with him their best shot at defeating the Nindroids.

They just needed to go pick him up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, Zane is mad! Sadly, defeating the Nindroids will take more than just a mad dash through the city guns blazing, as Zane's had the misfortune of finding out. There's just too many of them to take on without Lloyd's automatic shut-down. Still, they did almost make it, it just wasn't quite enough. Besides, they're not out of the woods yet. Just because Ultra finally came back doesn't mean Lil'Loyd will be easy to get, as they'll soon find out.
> 
> Big thanks to Kay Hau for this chapter. She thought we needed more in the show-verse between the movie drama. Jay being momentarily jealous of Echo and Lloyd was from her too.
> 
> Next Time: The Show Ninja arrive in Movie Ninjago just in time to hear of the Lloyds' kidnapping. Meanwhile, Pythor is finding his kidnapping not going quite as planned.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Show Ninja arrive in Movie Ninjago just in time to hear of the Lloyds' kidnapping. Meanwhile, Pythor is finding his kidnapping not going quite as planned.

_Movie Ninjago_

Needless to say, it was an eventful day of school when a dragon pulling a carriage suddenly lands in the courtyard.

Classes were completely forgotten, as the students all crowded by the windows to get a better look at the massive beast they'd seen on occasion flying through the city, and wondering who could be in the carriage. Some teachers attempted to regain their attention, but it was clear they were just as distracted as their pupils wondering what was going on.

Those of the Ninja Force who were in school at the time were quickly given permission to go handle it, as it was clearly there for them.

Zane was quick to call Cole and Jay and inform them what was happening. The two were cutting classes that day to patrol the city and make sure no bad guys took advantage of their leader's absence. Meanwhile, Kai and Nya, who had been sticking to Skylor's side like glue that day, quickly walked her over to Penny.

"We've gotta take care of this," Kai said to the girls apologetically. "Those guys wouldn't come over here like this unless it was urgent."

"Still, we don't want Skylor going off alone after what happened yesterday," agreed Nya. "You two mind sticking together until then? There's safety in numbers."

Skylor looked reluctant, and continuously cast curious glances out the window at the carriage, but Penny looked determined. "I will not leave her side," she promised.

The twins gave her a grateful glance, and Zane added, "Do not hesitate to call if you need help."

"Sure," said Skylor, still reluctant. "And you guys let us know what's up with the carriage when you get the chance."

"We'll see if we can," said Kai, implying this might be another ninja thing he can't talk to her about.

Leaving the two girls with the rest of the gawking students, they hurried over to the carriage and hopped inside.

"What's going on?" asked Cyan Nya as they took in the sight of the complete team of their counterparts sitting there looking serious.

"We've got a situation back in our world," Cliff Cole replied, looking grim. "We need our Lloyd as soon as possible."

The three local ninja exchanged glances hearing that.

"He and Luh-Loyd already left this morning," said Buddy Kai. "And that Serpentine city is too far away to just go get him."

"Not to mention _super_ illegal to go near without permission," added Cyan. "Like, grounds to start a war illegal."

"Due to its great distance away, if we wish to contact them, we will need to go to the Warehouse in order to boost our radio signal enough to reach him or the Green Dragon Mech," said Pep Zane.

"Then that is where we need to go," said Zen Zane, who was not at all looking very zen at the moment.

"_We'll meet you guys over there,"_ said DJ Cole over the radio.

"_So why do you need him?_" asked Freckles Jay.

The visiting Ninja exchanged glances to try and figure out how to open _that_ can of worms.

Somehow, they managed it over the flight to the Mech Warehouse, and by the time the carriage landed, Freckles was already at his supercomputer working to connect with Luh-Loyd.

"Okay, I'm boosting the signal to contact Luh-Loyd's communicator in his mask," he said as the rest of them approached. "But for some reason, I'm not picking up on anything."

"Is that bad?" asked Red Nya worriedly.

Freckles shrugged. "It could be a lot of bad things, the comm's busted, it got stolen, or it was broken in some fight even if it was working when I checked it yesterday morning," he said, but a pointed look from DJ had him quickly adding, "But more likely his comm's just too small to pick up the signal from this distance. I'll try the Green Dragon Mech, that's more likely to get us a connection anyway."

"Didn't he say he had to leave it outside the city last time?" asked Nick Jay with a frown.

"Well, yeah, but there's gotta be, like, guards or something around," said Freckles. "If they hear us screaming 'Emergency!' they're sure to answer or go get the others, right?"

As he said that, he finished connecting to the Green Dragon Mech, picked up a microphone and took a deep breath to prepare to start shouting.

But before he could get a word out, the communication system on the computer suddenly burst to life, causing Freckles to let out a wheeze as he stopped himself from shouting into it at the last second.

"_Lady IronDragon to Ninja Force! Emergency! Come in Ninja Force!" _came Koko's frantic voice through the speakers.

Seeing as he was the only leader of the two teams present, Cliff Cole stepped past a still coughing Freckles to take the microphone. "We're here. What's the emergency," he said.

What they heard Koko say next chilled them all to the bone.

"_My sons and the Serpentine prince have been kidnapped!"_

* * *

Pythor P. Chumsworth was not having a good time.

In fact, he was now wondering if his alliance with that vile human, Chen, was worth this much effort and discomfort.

The plan proposed to him by Chen's right-hand man had been simple. Abduct the prince and Charmer IronDragon's children and pass them off to Chen's gangsters outside the city. After that, he need merely use his invisibility to sneak back into the palace and pretend to be injured (not that he now needed to pretend with the shiner the Green Ninja had given him).

From there, oh, what a tale he would spin. How the Green Ninja had betrayed them. That he and the rotten clone brat had poisoned the guards and abducted the prince. He had tried to save the heir to the throne, really, he did, but what could he do against one of the greatest fighters in modern history, it was no use.

And, of course, the treacherous Charmer IronDragon must be to blame for the entire plot. Her sons were surely acting on her orders. They must have been lying to them this entire time trying to steal the Golden Weapons for themselves.

Everything Lady IronDragon's family had said would be brought into question, all their evidence of Chen's actions would become suspect, and by the time the patriarchy realized the truth, it would be too late! Chen's plan would come to fruition, and King Skales would fall, and all of the Serpentine high command would fall with him.

And with that, a new king would rise. Pythor would 'save' the Serpentine from Chen and take the position he'd always known he was destined to have. King of the five Serpentine tribes!

_King_ Pythor P. Chumsworth. It had a very nice ring to it.

But sadly, it seemed Pythor would have to delay picking out his crown due to one small hiccup in his plan.

He had been _seen!_

It was only by a whim he decided to peek his invisible head back into the throne room to make sure the meeting was still going as planned.

Only to instead see a distraught Charmer IronDragon comforting a crying little Fangpyre girl while the King and Queen were giving orders to any Serpentine who would listen to search for the missing children or the Anacondrai who had taken them.

His ruse had been found too soon!

Things only got worse when he barely dodged a Constrictai guard as he rushed into the room to inform them that due to their swift discovery, the Royal Physician had saved the two guards Pythor had poisoned, and soon they would reveal the identity of the kidnapper.

It was only a matter of time until Pythor's identity was known and he would be hunted down by every Serpentine in the kingdom. He was no longer safe here.

"Why would they take your sonsss as well as mine?" asked Queen Selma, wringing her hands in worry. "To capture even one isss a great risssk. To take all three hasss to mean sssomething."

King Skales froze from where he'd been pacing. "The Golden Weaponsss!" he exclaimed. "Charmer IronDragon'sss sonsss know where it is kept, and mine could be usssed as leverage againssst the guardsss!"

Pythor cocked his head hearing that. The brats knew where the Golden Weapons were located? It seems he should have picked their brains a bit more before passing them on.

The king turned to Charmer IronDragon. "Come, we must sssearch the tomb for them!" he said.

Charmer IronDragon nodded, and she hurried from the room alongside the king with a battalion of guards at his tail.

Pythor ducked into a hiding spot when he saw General Arcturus was among them. Invisibility was a useful skill, but it sadly didn't work on other Anacondrai.

Fortunately, no one could have predicted Pythor to return to the scene of his crime, and so the general passed by him without seeing him.

Once the group of soldiers had passed, Pythor slid out of hiding and followed them.

If he wanted to survive this, he would need shelter outside of Serpentine lands. And if he could get his hands on the Golden Weapons, well then, it seems he'd found the perfect bargaining chip with which to tempt Chen. He did so covet them, after all.

He followed the frantic king and his entourage all the way to the Tomb of Kings Past. Through the traps and pitfalls protecting the place from intruders. In their haste to check the weapons and find the hostages, none of them bothered to check if they were being followed, allowing Pythor to easily slip through.

However, upon bursting into the Weapons' Chamber and finding the Golden Weapons still on their pedestals, and the guards protecting them looking bewildered at their entrance, they realized the weapons had not been the target, and the children were not here.

King Skales slammed his staff to the ground with a distraught expression on his face, and Charmer IronDragon placed her hand on his shoulder, sharing in his pain.

"I will contact the rest of the Ninja Force," she said. "We _will_ find them." With that, she turned and raced back out of the tomb.

The king needed a few more moments to compose himself, and his loyal soldiers pretended not to notice the despair on his face.

From where he was hiding, Pythror sneered at his weakness. It was hardly behavior fitting a king. He was practically begging to be overthrown.

Finally, the king raised his head high again and turned to leave the tomb. "SSSearch the city, and all the landsss outssside it," he ordered to his soldiers as he went. "Charmer IronDragon isss right. We will find them if we have to turn over every grain of sssand in this desssert to do it."

"Yesss, your majesssty!" his soldiers replied, and they all returned to the surface, leaving the guards of the weapons to their vigil.

Guards of the weapons that did not have a single Anacondrai among their ranks, or so Pythor noticed.

With a smirk, the plan already began forming in his mind. He would have to act quickly, as the changing of the guard would be soon, and there was no guarantee he would be so lucky for it to be absent any Anacondrai guards when it did. He still had a bit of poison left. It would be so easy to slip some to these oblivious fools and make off with the weapons, using one of the decorative tapestries in the chamber to ensure he never touched the gold. After all, every Serpentine and their grandmother knew the stories of what happened when all four weapons were in hand.

With that plan in mind, Pythor slithered invisibly into the room to bring it to fruition.

He had a human to bribe, and a kingship to claim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, Pythor managed to hand the Lloyds and SJ over to Chen's men. Doesn't mean things are going as he planned, though. It won't be long now until he's branded a traitor to the Serpentine, and he's determined to burn his bridges on his terms. Meanwhile, the Ninja have to deal with the Lloyds being kidnapped... again.
> 
> Also, I added another chapter to Greener Pastures. Check it out if you like my oneshots.
> 
> Big thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading and helping to plan this chapter. She was a big help in catching errors on this one. She's also made an update to Greener Gift-Fics which is canon to this story if you haven't seen it yet. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13381156/4/Greener-Gift-fics
> 
> Next Time: Chen interrogates Luh-Loyd to find the secrets of the power of Green, and Lil'Loyd is not happy to be locked in a cage again.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chen interrogates Luh-Loyd to find the secrets of the power of Green, and Lil'Loyd is not happy to be locked in a cage again.

_Movie Ninjago_

Luh-Loyd awoke to a killer headache and a slap to the face. A second later his mouth was forced open and a hot liquid was poured into his mouth and he swallowed it on reflex.

He regretted swallowing immediately afterward as while the pain was still there it was harder to notice as an odd haze filled his mind.

It didn't take a genius to realize Luh-Loyd was in trouble. '_Or, guess I'm just Lloyd right now,'_ he thought after looking around blearily, and not seeing his counterpart. A few moments of pain later the implications of that settled in. '_Wait, where's Lil'Loyd?!'_

Before he could fully process this he was slapped again, and forced to look at the one who did it.

A man dressed like Dracula in a turban was sneering down at him. For some reason, the mere sight of the man was setting off alarm bells in Lloyd's head. Or maybe that was just the ringing in his ears. Did he know this guy? Why was it so hard to think? Why did it hurt so much?

Oh yeah, that means snake guy hit him with a tray and then bashed his head into a wall. That would do it. He probably had a… a… whatever you called it when your head got hit real bad. The fact he couldn't remember the word right now was probably a good sign he really had it.

Oh yeah, Turban Dracula was still talking to him and looked ready to slap him again. He'd better listen so he doesn't.

"-You listening to me?" Turban Dracula demanded with a scowl.

"Uh, yeah," said Lloyd woozily. "Where-" he started to ask, but Turban Dracula cut him off.

"Finally!" he said, throwing his hands into the air in exasperation. "Now, you will answer my questions honestly or else." He then smirked and taunted. "Not that you can lie. The Tea of Truth will compel you to blab whether you like it or not."

"Or… else what?" asked Lloyd, realizing he probably shouldn't ask that as soon as it passed his lips, but he kept talking anyway. "And you really shouldn't have given me the Tea of Truth right now. You don't give it to someone with a…" he trailed off and thought hard through the pain, trying to remember the word for why his head was hurting.

Turban Dracula looked at him like he was stupid. "Do you even realize what situation you're in?" he asked rhetorically.

Slowly to mitigate the pounding in his head Lloyd looked around him, actually taking in where he was for the first time.

He was kneeling on the floor of a fancy-looking office, his wrists and ankles were wrapped in chains made of that same stone that he'd fought ghosts with (the name of it escaped him for now), and he was flanked on both sides by burly men dressed like the thugs he'd fought the other night.

"Heyyyy! You're the _jerks_ who tried to blow up Poisinthia's house," Lloyd blurted out without meaning to, giving a glare at the thugs beside him.

The thugs looked confused at that, and Turban Dracula let out an impatient sound in the back of his throat.

Lloyd got slapped again and his head swam.

"PAY ATTENTION!" snapped Turban Dracula. "You _will_ answer my questions!"

'_I'm… not so sure I should,_' Lloyd thought to himself but didn't say so to avoid getting slapped a fourth time. The pain in his head was already intense, he didn't want it to be worse.

"Now tell me," said Turban Dracula, pacing in front of Lloyd like a tiger. "How does your power work?"

Lloyd knew there were some things he couldn't tell him (it was hard to think of it right now), but there were parts of it he could answer to satisfy the Tea of Truth, "With _love_," he said with a woozy grin.

Turban Dracula looked incensed. "You think this is a joke, do you?" he asked.

Lloyd tried to shake his head but stopped when it hurt too much. "No-no really," he said almost drunkenly. "Spiky Kai says I'm a living per-per-personifitiction of the power of friendship," he said, stumbling over the longer words.

"Personifi_ca_tion," one of the thugs corrected.

"Yeah, that," Lloyd agreed.

"Don't patronize me!" snapped Turban Dracula. "Your power is to make others stronger. How does it work."

"Power of friendship~," Lloyd said in a singsong voice. "B'cause Green is _life_, and life is connection and stuff. I do a connection thingy with people and then we're friends."

Turban Dracula looks ready to strangle him, but takes a deep breath and composes himself. "Very well, friendship, love, all that ooey-gooey nonsense," he said with a sneer. "If that is how you empower others, then how is it you-you empower yourself?"

Lloyd stared at him in bewilderment. Maybe it was the concussion talking (That was the word for it, concussion!), but did this weird, probably evil guy in a crazy outfit just ask him if he could empower himself? "I… can't…" Lloyd said slowly.

That was crazy! Sure he could power up other people, but himself? Nah! Couldn't be… Could it? He'd never made himself stronger. He couldn't blast things with elements like his friends. That was so cool, he wished he could do that. He couldn't even use the version of Green Lil'Loyd had. There was no way he could use Green to make himself stronger…

Except, something Morro had once said to him chose that moment to ring through his head despite how foggy so much else was.

"_Shrimp, you were able to lift my scrawny butt when you were __**eight**__. A normal eight-year-old __**can't**_ _hold up a thirteen-year-old, much less carry them four blocks and up a couple flights of stairs to get home."_

Had… had he made himself stronger by believing he could do it? And if he missed that, were there… other things he was missing?

These were not questions he should be asking himself when he had a con-con… oh darn it, he'd had that word a minute ago.

Turban Dracula suddenly bent his head down so he could hear better, and Lloyd realized too late he'd been muttering all that out loud, but from the frustrated look on his face, Turban Dracula hadn't been able to understand anything Lloyd had been saying and was still without answers.

Hearing that Lloyd's word vomit had finished, Turban Dracula stepped back and looked ready to throttle someone as he shouted, "What's wrong with you?!" He then glared at his goons and asked, "You numbskulls didn't get me the wrong tea, did you?"

The goons frantically shook their heads, clearly fearful of Turban Dracula's retaliation if they'd messed up.

But given Lloyd's uncle was an avid tea collector, and he and his cousin had enjoyed sneaking peeks at his magical ones throughout their youth out of curiosity, Lloyd knew exactly what was going on. "I _told_ you before," he said emphatically. "You don't give the Tea of Truth to someone with a con… con…" He shook his head at the word, giving up on saying it and instead said, "Hurt head. Hurt heads and Truth Tea have wonky, Ummm, I think it was side effects? Yeah, that was it." He let out a giggle. "Yeah, it has terrible, terrible side effects."

Turban Dracula frowned even more hearing that, and grabbed Lloyd's chin and forced him to look up at him, no doubt taking in his pupils and seeing the signs of his cccc-that c-word.

"Tsk, trust that lousy snake to give us damaged goods," Turban Dracula scoffed.

At that moment, the constant pain and dizziness in his brain caused Lloyd's stomach to revolt, and it must have shown on his face, because one of the thugs grabbed a terrarium off a nearby bookshelf, pulled the snake living inside out of it, and shoved the glass box under Lloyd's chin just in time to catch the vomit. Doing so emptied most of the Tea of Truth out of his system along with it, though he still felt woozy from it.

Turban Dracula reeled away in distaste. "Urgh, disgusting!" he said. He then turned to his other thug and ordered, "Shove some healing tea down his throat and throw him in the dungeon with the rest of them. He's useless to me like this! We'll try again when he's actually able to answer basic questions. I'll get answers out of him one way or another. And clean up Chelsea's terrarium while you're at it!" he added, scooping up the now homeless snake as it tried to slither away and began stroking it.

Lloyd felt himself being hoisted up by the thug not holding a barf-filled terrarium and begin being dragged out of the office.

"Waaaait!" Lloyd called, making them all pause and look at him. Lloyd weakly lifted his finger to point at Turban Dracula. "Look, I'm guessing, you're a bad guy, but you don't have to be the _bad guy,"_ he slurred, hoping to convince the man to be good. "You can turn this all around and-"

"Urgh, spare me," said Turban Dracula with a roll of his eyes. "Get him out of my sight."

With that, Lloyd was hauled away, pouting that he'd failed to give his turn bad guys good speech.

At least until one of the thugs forced more too hot tea down his throat, and the healing mixture sent him to dream-land once again.

His last thoughts before drifting off were to wonder if Lil'Loyd and his friend were okay.

* * *

Lil'Loyd paced back and forth in a prison cell. Next to him, SJ sat in a corner curled up in a ball and looking scared and miserable, not that the little Green Ninja blamed him.

He was worried. Pythor had driven the Vengestone laden carriage far out of the city and handed the two of them and a knocked out Luh-Loyd off to some jerks in snake masks and face paint. They'd then been stuffed into a smaller Vengestone box and shoved onto what sounded like a helicopter. After flying for who knows how long, they'd finally landed somewhere, and Lil'Loyd and SJ were thrown into a Vengestone cell while Luh-Loyd was slapped into Vengestone cuffs and dragged away while still unconscious.

Needless to say, Lil'Loyd was really getting sick of Vengestone. The only small mercy they had was Pythor apparently forgot to mention Lil'Loyd had elemental powers, so he was spared being shackled as well, not that he could summon his element in a cell made of the stuff.

What worried him most was Luh-Loyd. The cut on his older counterpart's head had stopped bleeding, but he hadn't woken up the entire trip. And now he was taken away to who knows where in some villain's island lair and not knowing what happened to him was killing Lil'Loyd.

A loud clang caught his attention, and SJ flinched at the sound. Looking towards the source of the noise, Lil'Loyd saw the thugs coming back dragging Luh-Loyd between them.

One of them shoved Lil'Loyd back from the bars so the other could open the cell and toss Luh-Loyd in.

Despite the shove, Lil'Loyd was at his counterpart's side in an instant, shaking his shoulder in hopes he'd wake up. When he didn't, the little Green Ninja wheeled around to face the thugs as they finished relocking the cell. "What's wrong with him?" he demanded.

"Concussion," said one of the thugs dismissively. "Don't cry brat, he's got some healing tea in him, he'll be fine." He then added with a chuckle, "Oh I wish I'd recorded all that, he was so loopy. Some 'hero' he is. Best interrogation I've ever seen."

The other thug scoffed. "Considering we got next to nothing out of him, I wouldn't call it the 'best'," he said.

"Aw, we'll get another chance," said the first thug nonchalantly as they walked away. "Once he's healed up Master Chen will take another shot. And if that doesn't work, we'll get answers one way or another, even if Clouse has to dissect him to do it."

"Man I hate that creepy scientist. Better the kid than me," said the second thug with a shudder as the two passed out of earshot.

It was a good thing neither of them looked back otherwise they would have seen Lil'Loyd glaring after them with his eyes flashing furiously.

He didn't know how long he sat glowering after them, but he was brought back to reality by SJ speaking up. "I didn't know humansss could growl, or that your, what'sss it called, hair? Could do that."

It was only then Lil'Loyd realized he was growling deep in his chest, and his hair was fluffing up as it tried to stand on end.

He quickly reached up to smooth his hair down and tried to quiet the growls. It wouldn't do any of them any good if their captors heard it. Especially with creepy scientists on hand.

He then pawed at Luh-Loyd's hood, and reached inside it for the radio earpiece he knew was there. But when he turned it on and tried to use it to call for help, it remained silent. Looking at it more closely, Lil'Loyd saw it some wires were pulled out. It must have happened when Pythor was manhandling him.

With a sigh, Lil'Loyd pocketed it in hopes that the Ninja, both of this world and his own, could maybe use it to track them, but he wasn't holding out much hope for that.

They were on their own.

Still, inside he was seething. If he'd heard correctly, these jerks just interrogated one of his big brothers while he was concussed, forced a cure down his throat only so that they could interrogate him a second time, and if Luh-Loyd failed to comply (as Lil'Loyd was sure he would, no way he'd ever help the bad guys), they'd have some scientist that scared even the goons here to experiment on him.

That was something Lil'Loyd would _not_ let happen.

Standing up decisively, Lil'Loyd pulled up the ninja hood of his gi and turned to look over at SJ, his expression determined behind the mask.

"We're busting out of here," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendship speech denied. Though, to be honest, I highly doubt Chen would have gone for it anyway. Luh-Loyd's having a rough time right now. Needless to say, the Tea of Truth and a concussion should not mix or else this is the result. You get the truth, but the person saying it is too loopy to make sense. Lil'Loyd is NOT happy with this situation at all, and is determined to get them out of it before it gets worse.
> 
> Big thanks to Kay Hau for helping with this chapter. She contributed a good bit to it, from Luh-Loyd's lines to the tea having terrible, terrible consequences, to Lil'Loyd's hair puffing up when he's angry and growling. It comes from her oneshot in Greener Gift-Fics where both Lloyd discuss any nonhuman features they've found about themselves. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13381156/1/Greener-Gift-fics
> 
> Next Time: Lil'Loyd's escape plan commences with SJ's help and Luh-Loyd dragged along for the ride, but will they be able to escape Chen's men or be locked back in the cell once again.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lil'Loyd's escape plan commences with SJ's help and Luh-Loyd dragged along for the ride, but will they be able to escape Chen's men or be locked back in the cell once again.

_Movie Ninjago_

SJ stared at his new human friend with wide red eyes. "How?" he asked. "They locked usss in, and you can't ussse your powersss in here."

Lil'Loyd smirked beneath his mask. "Wanna know what the best thing about being a kid ninja is?" he asked SJ.

"What?" asked the young prince.

"The bad guys always underestimate you," Lil'Loyd said, reaching into the sleeve of his gi and pulling out a set of lock-picks, and leaning over to begin using them on Luh-Loyd's shackles.

He then glanced out of the cell, and said in a softer voice, "I need you to keep watch for me, do you think you can do that?"

SJ flicked his tongue nervously and Lil'Loyd could see the fear in his eyes. "I-I dunno," he said. "What if we get caught? What'll they do to usss?"

Lil'Loyd, well used to being kidnapped, knew the drill. "To us, not much. We're the leverage. The ones they're using to keep the Ninja Force and the Serpentine from fighting back. If we get caught, they'll just lock us up tighter."

SJ didn't look convinced. "But, if they don't hurt usss? What if they hurt him again?" he asked fearfully, pointing at Luh-Loyd. "Mr. Chumsssworth already hurt him really bad and he'sss not waking up."

"That's why we're taking him with us," said Lil'Loyd as he managed to unlock the cuff on Luh-Loyd's left wrist and got to work on the right.

"We are?" asked SJ. "But-"

Lil'Loyd let go of Luh-Loyd's wrist, stood up, and lowered his hood so that he could stare SJ right in the face.

"Are you a prince or a scared little snake," he snapped more forcefully than he meant to. At SJ's frightened and hurt expression, he took a deep breath and said, "I know you're scared SJ and this is really bad, but if we don't do something it'll just get worse. Both our families have got to be really worried about us. If we stay here, the bad guys win and your dad might have to do something bad to get you back. We've gotta get out of here before that happens."

SJ's face fell, no doubt imagining what his father's reaction might be to his disappearance.

Lil'Loyd's expression softened. "Hey, I'm a ninja, and _you_ are the one who beat me earlier. If we work together we can do this. What did your dad's generals tell you before?"

Something in SJ's expression shifted at that question. "They sssaid to show no fear," he said.

"Not to any humans," agreed Lil'Loyd with a smirk. "Those goons that locked us in here may be wearing masks, but they looked pretty human to me. You gonna show them any fear."

SJ clenched his fists in determination, and he looked Lil'Loyd in the eye. "No," he said. "I am the prince of the SSSerpentine. No human scaresss me."

"Louder," said Lil'Loyd.

"I am the prince of the SSSerpentine! No human scaresss me!" said SJ more confidently.

"LOUDER!" Lil'Loyd said.

"I AM THE PRINCE OF THE SSSERPENTINE! NO HUMAN SCARESSS ME!" SJ shouted, looking ready to take on all the kidnappers himself.

At their feet, Luh-Loyd groaned in his sleep, and the two children were reminded they were currently trapped in a cell.

SJ gasped and clapped his hands over his mouth, and Lil'Loyd strained his ears to hear if anyone was coming.

A minute went by…

Then two…

When no one came they breathed a sigh of relief.

"The guardsss at my palace would have come running the sssecond they heard that, thessse guyss mussst not be that good," SJ said with a breathless giggle. "Maybe we actually do thisss."

"You bet we can," said Lil'Loyd confidently, pulling his hood back up. "Keep watch while I get my brother free. Then we're getting out of here."

SJ nodded, and hurried to the bars of their cell to peer out for anyone approaching, and Lil'Loyd finished picking the locks on Luh-Loyd's shackles and started picking the lock on the cell.

"Is picking locksss a ninja ssskill?" SJ had to ask.

Lil'Loyd actually had to pause in his lock-picking to think about it. "Actually… no," he said, a little surprised to realize it. "It really should be, now that I think about it since part of being a ninja is sneaking around. I guess Dad and Sensei Wu are too honorable to teach it to us."

"Then where did you learn it?" asked SJ a little confused.

"Darkley's School for Bad Boys," Lil'Loyd replied with a shrug.

SJ blinked as if he wasn't sure he'd heard that correctly. "Wait, what-?" he started to ask, but before he could fully voice the question, the lock on the cell clicked, and the door swung open.

With their way clear, Lil'Loyd hurried over to where his counterpart still lay unconscious. He was way too short to actually carry Luh-Loyd, but by draping the teenager's arms over his shoulders, he should be able to drag him along, and once they were out of this cell, he could channel his strength to make it easier.

However, lugging him out of the cell in the first place was proving to be a sticking point, as Luh-Loyd proved to be heavier than he looked. "You… need… a… _diet!"_ Lil'Loyd grunted as he tugged him towards the door.

"Here, let me," said SJ, scurrying to his side to tug one of Luh-Loyd's arms over his own shoulders.

Thankfully, Serpentine were naturally stronger than humans, even as kids, and between the two of them, they were able to carry Luh-Loyd out.

The second they were away from the Vengestone, Lil'Loyd felt his powers return, and he immediately activated his earth strength to make carrying his brother easier.

The two crept through the long hallway of cells, keeping their eyes peeled and ears strained for any sign of the guards returning.

They made it out of their cellblock without running into anyone, but as they turned a corner, they had to stop and stare.

To their left was an elevator, no doubt the way out of this dungeon. To their right, stretching on a long way down was another hallway full of cells…

And all of them were full!

"My people!" SJ gasped.

Before them was a vast variety of Serpentine. All the ones who had been reported missing were here, trapped in all the cells. They turned to look upon hearing that, and upon seeing their own prince, they all burst into startled whispers.

"It's the Prince," was the general consensus of their words, along with several questions of, "Is that the Green Ninja?" and wondering who Lil'Loyd was.

Setting Luh-Loyd down on the ground, Lil'Loyd fished his lock picks back out and hurried towards one of the closest cells. "Hold on, I'll get you out," he said and had to smile at the irony. Looks like he was freeing Serpentine once again. Old habits die hard.

"Our thanksss, little one," said the large Constrictai within it, as he and the two others trapped there huddled by the door.

"Have all of you been here thisss whole time?" asked SJ as he stood guard over the unconscious Green Ninja, but still stared around at his captured people in surprise.

"Yesss," hissed another Hypnobrai in the cell. "They took usss here when they captured usss. We don't know why."

"They want people to think you were captured by the Golden Master," Lil'Loyd said as he unlocked the first cell and hurried to the next one. "They want to make the prophecy come true."

Several angry hisses sounded out of the cells upon hearing that.

But just before Lil'Loyd managed to unlock the second cell, the sound of the elevator coming to life made them freeze.

Instantly, the Serpentines' whispers turned to ones of worry, and the Constrictai Lil'Loyd had freed quickly scooped the children and teenager up and carried them into his cell to hide.

"It'sss feeding time," whispered a Venamari who was also in the cell as she stood in front of them to hide them from view.

"We can't let them recapture the prince," whispered the Hypnobrai.

The Constrictai glanced fervently at the elevator, before turning to crouch down by the children. "Lisssten to me, little onesss," he said. "Thossse of usss in this cell will caussse a dissstraction. Once we do, you mussst essscape."

"But what about you?" asked SJ worriedly.

"We will be fine, your highnessss," said the Hypnobrai. "You are more important than usss."

"No one is more important than anyone else," Lil'Loyd protested, not wanting to leave them behind either.

"It isss too risssky," said the Constrictai. "The more of usss you free, the more likely you are to be recaptured."

The Venomari nodded in agreement. "I don't know what thessse monsssters want with the Green Ninja, or our prince, or even you, little hatchling, but whatever it isss, if it involvesss the Golden Massster, it can't be good," she said. "You should go ssso they do not sssucceed."

SJ and Lil'Loyd exchanged a glance, remembering why they had broken out in the first place. The longer they were here, the worse things would be.

"We'll tell the Ninja Force," Lil'Loyd promised. "We'll make sure they come back for you. Promise."

"Our thanksss, hatchling," said the Hypnobrai. "Now be ready."

The elevator dinged as the door opened and two new guards came out. One stepped forward and called, "Alright you slimy snakes! Lunchtime! You know the drill! Away from the bars or you get a taste of my zappy friend!" As he said that he waved around a taser rod.

"Chope, why do I have to carry all this!" complained the other goon as he lugged a crate full of food.

"I told you, Kapau, one person's gotta carry the food and the other's gotta wave the stick," said the first goon who was apparently named Chope. "I've got the stick, so you've got the food."

"But you've _always _got the stick," Kapau complained.

"Shhh, you're ruining my intimidating entrance," said Chope. "We gotta do a good job with this, or else Master Chen will keep us on snake feeding duty _forever_."

That quieted Kapau, though he still grumbled unflattering things under his breath.

"_Thessse_ are your guardsss?" asked SJ in disbelief as he and Lil'Loyd lifted Luh-Loyd's arms back over their shoulders.

The Hypnobrai let out a snort. "Not quite up to ssstandards of palace guardsss, I'm sure," she whispered back.

Chope waved his taser rod at the cell across from the one they were hiding in to force the Serpentine inside back. They hissed, but backed up so that he could unlock the door and Kapau could throw food in for them, their backs turned to them.

"NOW!" shouted the Constrictai.

Pretending to ram the door open to hide it was unlocked, the Constrictai burst out of his cell with the Hypnobrai and Venomari right behind him.

Chope and Kapau were so surprised at the sudden attack, that the Constrictai smacked the taser rod out of Chope's hands before they dogpiled on top of him and Kapau. The Serpentine that had been in the cell they were feeding jumped onto the pile as well while all the other Serpentine cheered in their cells, allowing the children to drag Luh-Loyd past undetected and managed to make it into the elevator just before the door closed.

The second the door opened again, they hurried out of it knowing they didn't have much time before more guards came to back up those down below. They managed to duck out of sight before more arrived and hurried past them to break up the scuffle downstairs.

Once the guards had vanished into the elevator, they made to put as much distance between them and it as they could. Once the fight was broken up it was only a matter of time before their escape was noticed.

However, dragging a teenager around when you're half his size was tiring work and wherever they were seemed to have more than enough hallways and doors. Not knowing how to get out, the two had to stop and hide in a closet to catch their breaths.

"SSSo far ssso good," said SJ as he slumped to the floor to rest.

"Don't jinx it," said Lil'Loyd, just as breathless.

"How are we going to get out?" asked SJ. "Thisss place seemsss to have no end! My palace is easssier to navigate than thisss."

"We've gotta find some way out," said Lil'Loyd in agreement. "The more we wander around this place, the more likely we are to get caught, but I doubt there's just a map we find and look at to get out."

SJ snorted. "Or we could asssk a guard that would jussst tell us the way out," he said as a joke.

But the words caught Lil'Loyd's attention and a memory surfaced in his head. A memory of when he first met King Skales in this world. "Why don't we?" he asked.

SJ looked at him in bewilderment.

Seeing he wasn't getting it, Lil'Loyd said, "SJ, you're a _Hypnobrai!_ You could hypnotize a guard and make him show us the way out!"

SJ looked startled, then hesitant. "I dunno, I'm not that good at hypnotizing yet," he said. "Hypnobrai don't reach full hypnotic power until they're all grown up."

"We don't need you to control them completely," said Lil'Loyd. "We just need them to tell us how to get out and not chase us when we leave. Think you can do that?"

SJ thought a moment, then nodded slowly. "In training, I can control my tutor for about ten minutesss, but then the control breaksss. But I've never controlled a human before, ssso I don't know if it'sss different."

"Then that's our best shot," Lil'Loyd said with a nod.

"But there were Hypnobrai in the dungeonsss," said SJ thinking of one last flaw in his plan. "Won't they know to not look in my eyesss if I try?"

That was a good point, and Lil'Loyd thought hard to come up with a solution. Then a lightbulb went off. "Not if they don't know you're a Hypnobrai," he said with a smirk.

SJ could only stare at him, completely lost. "What?"

* * *

Sleven sometimes wondered how he got to this point.

No, that wasn't true, he knew how he got here. He was loyal to Master Chen and willing to do whatever his boss wanted of him.

Even if it meant working with snakes. Sleven _hated _snakes.

At least he hadn't been sent down to the dungeon. He heard some of the snakes down there had gotten out of their cages, and several guards had to be called to round them back up. All he had to do was patrol on the ground floor to ensure none had escaped upstairs.

None like the Green Ninja's little brother (possible clone?) who was standing at the end of the hall in his own little green ninja gi and hood.

"Hey!" shouted Sleven, grabbing his sword and rushing towards the escaped child.

The Green Ninja's little brother jumped at the sound of his voice and darted down the hallway to get away.

Sleven took off after the little hooded figure as they ran through the halls. He managed to corner the child as he attempted to open a closet to hide.

Brandishing his sword in front of him, Sleven approached to take him back to his cell. "Nice try kid," he said. "But not good enough."

The kid huddled with his back to him, visibly trembling and his hand still clutching the closet door despite there being no point in hiding in there now as Sleven would see him go in.

Sleven was close enough to grab the kid now, and as he reached out to do so, he heard an odd rattling sound.

But before he could question the sound, the Green Ninja's little brother wheeled around and looked him dead in the eye.

The last coherent thought Sleven had was to wonder if the kid had always had swirling red eyes…

* * *

SJ yanked off the ninja hood and knocked on the door behind him to signal Lil'Loyd.

The door opened, and Lil'Loyd wearing SJ's robe peered out to see the transfixed guard standing there in a daze and SJ giving him a thumbs up. "It worked," the prince hissed. "With the hood up they thought I wass you."

"Told'ya it would," said Lil'Loyd with a grin, swapping clothes back with SJ. "Good job luring him in. Maybe you could be the first Serpentine Ninja."

SJ flashed him a grin, but his eyes never left the guard, a look of intense concentration on his face.

"You got this?" Lil'Loyd asked.

"Yeah, it's a little easier than with my tutor," said SJ. "I don't think I can hold him for long, but at least long enough to get us out of here." His eyes swirled as he looked at the guard and commanded, "You will take us outside this place, and do so in a way we are not seen."

The hypnotized guard woozily put his sword back into its sheath and turned and walked slightly down the hall and pulled on a candlestick opening a secret doorway, then stood to the side waiting for them to follow him.

"Whoa! Secret passage," said Lil'Loyd impressed as he started lifting his counterpart back up. As he did so, he glanced between Luh-Loyd, knowing how slow they had to go carrying him, and then at the guard. "We're on a time limit, do you think you could get that guy to carry Luh-Loyd for us."

SJ nodded and focused on the guard again. "You will carry the Green Ninja as you lead us out," he ordered.

The guard stepped away from the passageway long enough to lift Luh-Loyd up so he was carrying him piggyback, then walked back to the passageway and led them down it.

The passageway was dusty and full of cobwebs from disuse, but the children took that as a good sign. If they were used more, then there was a higher chance they'd be caught, but if the people who worked here didn't even use them, there was little chance they'd think they would be found by outsiders.

A few minutes later, the guard opened a door at the end of the passageway, revealing a tropical looking forest outside, and Lil'Loyd and SJ eagerly rushed past him out of it.

"We made it!" exclaimed the prince excitedly.

"We're not out of the woods yet, we still gotta get away from this place and get help," said Lil'Loyd, but he was grinning at the fresh air too, happy to be out of that place.

Unfortunately, the taste of freedom distracted them from something important. Specifically that their ten minutes were up, and the guard was waking up from his trance.

"Ohh, what happened?" the guard asked woozily as he looked around, making both boys tense. "How did I get out here?"

Needless to say, when the guard spotted the source of his confusion, he did not look pleased. He dropped Luh-Loyd off his back and reached for his sword again (belatedly, the boys realized they probably should have told him to get rid of it).

"You brats are in a lot of- Oof!" he cried out as his legs were kicked out from under him.

Lil'Loyd and SJ blinked in surprise as their would-be attacker was knocked flat in an instant. The reason for it sprang to his feet an instant later.

Luh-Loyd, who'd gotten his second rude awakening of the day when the guard had unceremoniously dropped him, was not at all pleased to see this jerk threatening his little brother. Kicking his legs out from under him wouldn't take the guard down for good, but a swift punch to the face took care of that.

With the threat taken care of, Luh-Loyd looked around in bewilderment, not recognizing where they were and trying to put the pieces together from the muddled memories left from his concussion.

Lil'Loyd whooped at the sight of him up and looking better, and launched himself at him.

Luh-Loyd, well used to being tackled by his friends, managed to catch him and fell back to the ground under his weight. "What… happened?" he asked, rubbing his still aching head.

"You got kidnapped by Pythor," said Lil'Loyd brightly from where he was sitting on Luh-Loyd's chest. "We saved you. You're welcome."

It felt nice to be the one to save someone from being kidnapped for a change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As far as Lil'Loyd is concerned, Luh-Loyd is the one who got kidnapped. Lil'Loyd and SJ were just playing along to rescue him. Still, they did good in getting out. Thankfully, Chen and his guards have no idea just who Lil'Loyd is and underestimated him and SJ. The two make a pretty good team. Also, I didn't make up Sleven, by the way. I found him on a Ninjago Wiki article and thought he'd be a good fit to be the minion here.
> 
> A big thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading and contributing ideas to this chapter. It was from our discussions we thought to have the kids escape themselves dragging Luh-Loyd in tow. She also encouraged me to have SJ contribute in a big way to getting them out.
> 
> Next Time: They may be out of the mansion, but they're not out of the woods. The Lloyds and SJ still need to get as far away as they can, which is only made more complicated when a certain snake arrives with presents in hand.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They may be out of the mansion, but they're not out of the woods. The Lloyds and SJ still need to get as far away as they can, which is only made more complicated when a certain snake arrives with presents in hand.

_Movie Ninjago_

The Serpentine were quite surprised when alongside the multitude of mechs, flying ship, and the giant cat the Ninja Force was famous for, a smaller red samurai mech and a carriage being pulled by a dragon landed outside their city.

They grew confused when almost double the number of ninja they were expecting came out of it along with a girl dressed in armor.

And they were _alarmed_ when following the extra ninja was someone they hoped to never see again.

Lord Garmagon held up all of his hands in surrender when the Serpentine soldiers pointed their weapons at him. "Urgh, here we go," he grumbled as the Ninja all hung back, wondering if they should intervene.

"You only brought it on yourself, Brother," said Master Wu as he stepped off his ship, and played _Bad Blood_ on his flute.

"Stuff it, you butt," Lord Garmadon shot back without missing a beat.

Hearing the song on the flute, Red Nya leaned over to her counterpart and whispered, "Master Wu listens to-?"

She trailed off, and Cyan Nya snorted. "Yeah, NOTHING he plays surprises us anymore."

"You swore an oath never to set foot in Serpentine civilization again, Garmadon," hissed the Serpentine guard in charge of the others. "Why have you returned?"

Lord Garmadon tapped his chin and pretended to think. "Oh jee, I don't know, maybe _because my __**KIDS**_ _got __**KIDNAPPED**_ in your _stinkin'_ city! Ring any bells?!"

That threw the surrounding Serpentine off. It was easy for them to forget in their admiration of Charmer IronDragon that her son was also the son of their hated enemy.

Rolling his eyes, Lord Garmadon said snidely, "Look, I'm outside the city, I'm not 'setting foot in a Serpentine civilization' or whatever. But if you think I'm going to sit back and do _nothing_ while my _kids_ are missing, then you can take those spears and shove them up your-"

"GARM!" came a shout, and the Serpentine parted to allow Koko to race through them looking distraught.

"Koko!" shouted Garmadon, and heedless of the surrounding snakes, ran over to hold her.

"They were taken right out from under me!" Koko said, worry written all over her face. "What kind of mother am I?"

Garmadon pulled back from their embrace to look her dead in the eye. "The kind that's going to find them no matter what, not sit back and wallow like a pansy," he said firmly. "I know you, Kokes, you'll tear this world apart until you find them, then move on to the next one."

Koko managed to give him a strained smile. She'd needed to hear that.

"You've got help there," added Buddy Kai, as he and the other collective Ninja gathered around. "Just tell us where to go."

"I'm afraid the circumstances have grown direr," came a new voice, and all of the Serpentine guards hurried to bow as their king and queen approached, flanked by their generals. Koko and Master Wu were quick to bow as well, and the Ninja followed their example (with some reluctance from the dimensional travelers given who it was). Only Garmadon remained standing.

King Skales eyed him up and down suspiciously. "Lord Garmadon," he said in the barest hint of politeness.

"Your majesty," Garmadon said as if that were an insult. Beside him, the others rose from their bows, and Koko elbowed him in the side for his tone.

"Pleassse," said Queen Selma worriedly. "The lassst thing we need isss more trouble."

"The only trouble I'm causing is to the chum bucket that kidnapped the kids," said Lord Garmadon with a scoff. "He's shark food when I get him."

"SSSave some for usss," muttered General Skalidor.

"Well, I was going to blast whatever bits are left out of my volcano, but sure, you can have them," said Garmadon in an almost friendly tone at their mutual enemy's destruction.

King Skales regarded him for a moment longer, clearly not wanting to work with Garmadon, but with his son's life on the line… "Very well," he said reluctantly. "You may sssearch the desertsss, but ssset not one foot into any SSSerpentine town, city, or home. And lay not one hand on the Golden Weaponsss," he ordered.

That gave all of them pause. Except for Garmadon, who just looked confused. "The golden what-now?" he asked.

King Skales glanced at Koko, who shrugged. "My sons and I assumed you wouldn't appreciate us telling him."

The Serpentine king looked pleased to hear that, and Garmadon sent his ex-wife a pout.

"Wait, what was that about the Golden Weapons?" asked Spike Kai putting them back on track as he and the others exchanged a glance.

"Unfortunately, they have been ssstolen," said General Fangtom. "Not long after the tomb they were hidden in wasss sssearched, the changing guard dissscovered this when they arrived."

"And likely by the sssame culprit who abducted the prince and Lady IronDragon'sss children," said General Acidicus. "The poissson usssed to sssubdue the guardsss wasss the very sssame."

"Well this just got a whole lot worse," said Freckles Jay.

"I know, right! That's the exact thing we were trying to _not_ let happen," agreed Nick Jay.

"Then we better get to fixing it," said Cliff Cole, turning to face the rest of the collective Ninja. "We should split up and search the desert."

The Ninja Force looked a little startled at him taking the lead, but Cyan Nya let out a relieved sigh, before nodding in agreement. "We can use our mechs to search. Do you want us to turn the carriage into some vehicles for you, or keep it in one piece?" she said and seeing their second in command go along with Cliff's lead reassured her teammates.

"How many vehicles do you think you can get out of it?" asked Cliff, looking at the carriage. "Going in as many directions as possible will give us a better range to search."

Pep scanned the carriage with his eyes, and said, "The wheels used are quite large. If we use one for each vehicle, we could potentially create four one-wheeled motorcycles for you to ride on."

"Oh, hey, one for each of us," said Nick.

"Then let's get on it," said DJ, and the Ninja Force along with Red Nya and Nick hurried to reshape the carriage into their rides.

Garmadon, however, wasn't waiting around for them to finish.

"Right, you nerds do that," he said lifting Koko bridal style and carrying her over to Luh-Loyd's Green Dragon Mech. "Me, Koko, and the boys' pet monsters will get this show on the road."

At his words, Meowthra immediately began padding off to search, and the Ultra Dragon took to the air to join her once they were detached from their harness.

Koko blinked as her ex-husband deposited her behind him on the Green Dragon and he began starting the mech up. "Do you even know how to drive this thing?" she asked, not complaining about getting out there to search.

"I drove it before," said Garmadon defensively.

"Once," said Koko. "And badly."

Garmadon scoffed. "Oh come on, how hard can it beEEEEE!" he yelped as the controls shot him and Koko into the air and rocketing off into the sky.

No one said finding the kids would be easy.

* * *

No one said escaping their enemies would be easy.

That was the general consensus of the two Green Ninja and the Serpentine Prince as they picked their way through the jungle outside the manor the younger two had gotten them out of.

By now their empty cell had definitely been noticed, and the jungle was swarming with more masked men searching for them while holding spears and swords.

Getting caught was _not _an option.

As it was, Lil'Loyd and SJ were currently hiding in the branches of a tall tree to avoid being spotted by a goon patrol (something novel for SJ, since he'd only ever seen desert flora before), while Luh-Loyd climbed even higher to try and get a better view of their surroundings.

Poking his head out from above the leaves, Luh-Loyd took a cautious glance at the sky to make sure there were no aircrafts around. Seeing none, he stood up more fully and looked around.

He could see the manor they'd escaped from in one direction, it's upper levels peeking over the trees. Lloyd ducked against the tree branches to shield himself from the view of any windows and looked in the other direction.

The manor and the forest they were now in was at the top of a low mountain, giving Luh-Loyd a good view of their surroundings on all sides. Unfortunately, one quick look around posed a problem.

"We're on an island," he hissed to his younger companions once he climbed back down to them.

The two boys looked up at him in alarm. "Doesss that mean we're trapped here?" asked SJ worriedly.

"No, not trapped," Luh-Loyd assured him. "I'm a Master Builder. I can build us a way off this island. The problem is, I'd likely have to build whatever boat we use from stuff in this forest, and just using trees doesn't make for the fastest ship."

"Meaning the bad guys could catch up to us before we get back to Ninjago," said Lil'Loyd, catching on.

"Pretty much," Luh-Loyd agreed. "From what I've seen, the only other way off this island is on a boat or a helicopter. The helicopter pad is part of the docks and it's empty right now, so we might be able to avoid that if it's off somewhere else. But if they see us sailing away and come after us in a boat that has a motor, we'll be in pretty big trouble."

SJ looked worried, but Lil'Loyd could see where he was going with this. "So we blow up their boats?" he asked rhetorically.

"Well, we'll try to steal a fast one so we can get home sooner, but all the rest, yeah, we're blowing them up," said Luh-Loyd with a nod as he wrapped one hand around the sword he'd stolen from the guard SJ had hypnotized.

"Piece of cake," said Lil'Loyd, alighting his hands with his energy powers, making Luh-Loyd grin at the sight.

SJ looked between the two ninja with a concerned look on his face. "You ninja are very… extreme," he said, looking like he was wondering if he should have taken his chances in the dungeon.

"The word you're looking for, SJ, is awesome," Lil'Loyd corrected with a smirk.

Luh-Loyd chuckled softly at that, before slipping into leader mode, even if those he was leading were just kids. "The dock is on the west side of the island, but we should avoid the path to it since it'll be crawling with guards. We'll have to go through the jungle."

"Is that hard?" asked SJ as the two humans climbed down from the tree. The young Serpentine hesitated at the height, like a cat stuck in a tree, but was able to jump down when Luh-Loyd held out his arms to catch him.

"Don't worry," said Luh-Loyd as he began leading them through the forest. "This isn't the first jungle I've gone through. At least this time we don't have to carry my dad in a cage."

For the umpteenth time that day, SJ had to do a double-take at a human's words and ask a bewildered, "What?"

* * *

Fortunately, they managed to make it to the docks without much issue, only needing to duck into the trees a few times to avoid the searching guards. Luh-Loyd was able to slap together some pieces to make a raft to escape on if they had to destroy all the boats, and left it in a cove on the way there.

Unfortunately, just as they were approaching the docks the helicopter returned from wherever it had gone to and landed on the landing pad. The Lloyds mutually agreed that if they weren't able to steal it, they'd blow that up too.

SJ was beginning to worry about their sanity.

However, when they saw just who was getting off the helicopter, their escape plans were put on hold from shock, before creeping closer to get a better view from the treeline.

The head bad guy, Master Chen if the children had heard Chope and Kapau right (though Lil'Loyd had to agree Turban Dracula was an apt nickname for him), was flanked by guards and strode up the dock towards the new arrival with a haughty expression. "You've got a lot of nerve calling my men back to collect you," he said tartly. "Especially after giving us damaged goods the last time we contacted you."

The newly arrived Pythor gasped, clutched at a large tapestry wrapped parcel in his hands and gave Chen his best-wounded expression. "What? Damaged goodsss? I gave you precisssely what you asssked for, old chum."

"I didn't ask for the Green Ninja to have his brains so scrambled he can't answer my questions," Chen snapped.

"You didn't _not_ asssk for that either," Pythor replied smoothly. "Your only order wasss for me to get the bratsss to you through, what were the exact words… 'By any meansss necessssary', I believe, and that certainly fits the bill. And at great cossst to myssself, mind you, as I find I'll sssoon be no longer welcomed in SSSerpentine territory."

Chen's scowl at his words spoke volumes of how little he cared about Pythor's problems.

"SSStill, I'm sure I can make it up to you," Pythor continued, acting like he was the one doing Chen a favor. "SSSomething to sssweeten the pot and cover my ssstay here until our little plan comesss to fruition, hmm."

Chen glowered at him, before huffing and saying. "Oh, very well, show me what you have, and _then_ I'll let you know if we have room for visitors."

Pythor's grin widened, and he dropped his parcel onto the deck.

The three hiding boys had to stifle a gasp as gold gleamed on the deck at Chen's feet.

Chen gaped in shock at the sight of them, before practically dancing in place in excitement. "The Golden Weapons!" he exclaimed at the top of his lungs. "You actually got them!"

"I did sssay I would, didn't I," said Pythor with a self-important drawl. "It was only a matter of time, and usssing the prince as a ransssom wouldn't have worked anyway. Thisss isss much more convenient."

"I'll say!" said Chen eagerly, he moved like he was about to pick one of the gold weapons up, but then paused and sent Pythor a suspicious glance. He then straightened and looked at the guard to his left. "You there, pick them up," he commanded.

The guard jumped at those words, and pointed at himself dumbly.

"Yes, you, who else am I talking to. Pick them up!" Chen ordered.

Hidden among the trees, Lil'Loyd and SJ let out horrified gasps, and Luh-Loyd only had a moment to wonder why SJ suddenly was clapping his hands over his eyes, before Lil'Loyd was pouncing on him to do the same for his older counterpart.

"Lil'Loyd, what are you doing?" Luh-Loyd asked as he struggled to get the younger to stop covering the elder's eyes.

The guard hurried to follow Chen's orders, picking up one weapon at a time. Seeing this, Pythor casually started to say, "Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were-"

Luh-Loyd managed to get his vision clear just in time to see the guard pick up the fourth weapon before seizing up like he was in pain and vanishing into thin air, sending the weapons clattering back to the dock.

"-You," Pythor finished too late, but not looking too broken up about it.

Luh-Loyd could only stare horrified at where the man had once been. No scream, no body, he was just _gone!_ Someone had just died in front of him, and there was nothing left to show he'd even existed!

Lil'Loyd had told them what would happen if someone tried to hold all four of the Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu, but it was only now it sank in for Luh-Loyd what it truly meant.

Lil'Loyd was still hanging limply off his counterpart's shoulder as Luh-Loyd sat frozen with a horrified expression. "I tried to keep you from seeing that," the little Green Ninja muttered guiltily. "Sorry."

"... I feel I should be the one trying to protect you from that," Luh-Loyd said in a slightly strangled voice.

Lil'Loyd shrugged. "You're a little more innocent than me," he said. While he was also horrified to have seen someone just die, his counterpart being affected even more seemed to only prove his point.

"Isss it over?" whimpered SJ, who still had his hands clamped over his eyes.

As Chen prodded the spot his goon had once stood with his foot, while his other guard looked terrified, and Pythor looked amused. "That was rather wasssteful," the Anacondrai said like he was discussing the weather. "I did warn you what would happen if they were all touched."

Chen shrugged like the death of one of his men wasn't a big deal. "Eh, I had to see for myself. For all I know that could have been a hoax to keep people from using them. If the warnings were false, then things would be a lot easier going forward. Oh well, I still have a plan B," he said as he shrugged and picked up the golden shuriken and the nunchucks. "Besides, I had to be sure they were the real deal, and it seemed to be a good way to test them."

Pythor clutched at his heart like he'd been wounded. "Me? Give you fake weaponsss? I would never."

"Whatever," said Chen, clearly not caring. "You've just got yourself one of the finest suites in the manor." He then turned to his remaining guard and said, "You! Pick up the other two weapons."

The guard took a huge step back and looked terrified of the very notion.

Chen rolled his eyes, and kicked him off the dock into the ocean. "Big baby," he called down after him. "You need all four to get turned into nothing. I'm only asking you to pick up two."

The guard reluctantly climbed back on the dock and gingerly inched over to retrieve the scythe and sword at a snail's pace while Chen and Pythor watched on with annoyance and amusement respectively.

"He knew what would happen," said Luh-Loyd from their hiding place, his voice brimming with disbelief. "He knew and he made the guy pick them up anyway."

Not even his father had been so callous. Impossible as it seemed, during his years of attacking the city, no one had died due to a Garmadon Attack. Injuries were aplenty and destruction was assured, but somehow, whether from some weird form of mercy from his father or Ninjago City's well-oiled evacuation methods, death of innocent people was never something that stained Lord Garmadon's consciousness, and it was a methodology all those who worked under him followed as well. Something Luh-Loyd had always been thankful for, as it would have been a lot harder to forgive him otherwise. It was why his father managed to only receive a fine, house arrest, and community service instead of full incarceration when he gave up evil to become good.

This man had clearly had no regard for the life of his men. And if he cared so little for those closest to him, Luh-Loyd shuddered to think what he'd do to those in his way.

This… wasn't any kind of villain he'd ever faced before…

They couldn't let him succeed.

"We need to get those weapons back," he and Lil'Loyd said in unison, as the younger had clearly been thinking along the same lines.

SJ carefully peeked out from behind his hands. "How?" he asked.

"IIIII don't know," Luh-Loyd admitted. "But if this guy plans to use them to emulate the Golden Master we can't let him get away with it."

"If we can at least grab one before we go, we could potentially derail his plans, whatever those are," Lil'Loyd pointed out.

Luh-Loyd nodded absently, the start of a plan forming in his mind. "Okay," he said as he put the final pieces together. "Okay, here's what we'll do. SJ, can you swim?"

SJ blinked his red eyes in surprise, but nodded hesitantly. "Yesss, a little. My palace hasss a pool."

"Cool," said Luh-Loyd, reaching over to grab a pair of straw-like reeds and holding them out to them. "Then while I cause a distraction, I need you two to swim under the docks. Lil'Loyd, you can use your powers to attack the boats and helicopter. SJ, I'll try to kick one of the weapons off the dock. I want you to take it and run as fast as you can back to where we left the raft and start trying to get as far from here as possible. Me and Lil'Loyd will catch up to you or steal a boat and meet you on the water. Can you two do that."

SJ nodded slowly, but Lil'Loyd looked skeptical. "You wanna fight them?" he asked worriedly. "All of them by yourself? You just recovered from a concussion and they have the Golden Weapons!"

"They don't know how to use them and I have the element of surprise on my side," Luh-Loyd assured him. "It doesn't need to be a long fight. Just enough to get this done."

Lil'Loyd didn't look happy, but he nodded anyway.

Chen and Pythor were still watching the guard carefully pick up the scythe and reach for the sword when a yell came from behind them. They wheeled around in time to see Pythor get kicked in the face, as a green and black blur used his head as a springboard to jump over them and grab the Sword of Fire out from under the guard. With it and his other stolen blade in his hands, Luh-Loyd wheeled around and stood ready to fight.

"Oh, not you again!" Chen groaned at the sight of him. "You're supposed to be in your cell!" He then paused and studied Luh-Loyd up and down. "Wait, weren't you concussed a few hours ago? How are you up and moving already?"

Luh-Loyd blinked, a little thrown off by the question. Wasn't it normal for healing tea to clear things up that fast?

Taking advantage of his distraction, the guard charged him with a swing of the scythe. Luh-Loyd blocked it with both swords and kicked his opponent in the knee.

The guard yelped and stumbled, allowing Luh-Loyd to clock him over the head with the hilt of one of his swords, knocking him out cold and sending the scythe clattering to the dock.

Luh-Loyd quickly kicked it into the water below but knew it was probably too heavy for SJ to lift and run with. He'd either have to throw in the Fire Sword or try for another weapon and given he still had two opponents to face, he decided to go for the latter.

Speaking of, Chen suddenly came flying at him with the nunchucks in one hand and the shuriken in the other. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, given this was the leader of the bad guys, but when it came to a fight, Chen was _good!_ He used the sparking chain of the nunchucks to wrap around Luh-Loyd's regular sword and yanked it out of his hand as the electrified charge went through the metal into his arm. Then, while Luh-Loyd was thrown off balance from the shock and the yank, he swiped at Luh-Loyd's eyes with the shuriken, it was only by Luh-Loyd managing to twist in the air in mid-fall that he was able to avoid losing his eyes.

Rolling across the dock, Luh-Loyd jumped back onto his feet and brandished the Sword of Fire in front of him.

"Give up, boy," Chen sneered at him, holding his own weapons at the ready. "There is no way off my island that I can't follow."

Luh-Loyd smirked. "You sure about that?" he asked.

Behind them, the helicopter exploded with a flash of green energy.

Now it was Chen's turn to be startled, and Luh-Loyd pressed his advantage to try and jump him.

Dropping the Shuriken of Ice to the dock, Chen was forced to use the nunchucks to block Luh-Loyd's strike, leaving the two locked in one place.

Luh-Loyd quickly kicked the Shuriken of Ice towards the edge of the dock, but his eyes never left Chen's. "You don't have to do this," Luh-Loyd said as he pushed against the nunchucks with the sword.

"Grind you beneath my heel like the ant you are? Yes, I think I do," Chen replied nastily as he pushed harder.

Luh-Loyd took a deep breath to steady himself against this. He was feeling a _lot_ more reluctant to do this after seeing him kill someone out of curiosity, but still, he had to try. "We don't have to fight each other," he said as calmly as he could. "You can stop and we can work something out."

Chen stopped pushing so hard and just stared at him.

Hoping he was getting through to him (though he couldn't help the nagging feeling that he wasn't), Luh-Loyd continued, "What do you even want with this?" he asked. "Whatever your goal is, whatever you want those weapons for, there has to be a better way to do it. Something that doesn't involve hurting people and Serpentine! I can help you if you just _stop!_"

Chen just goggled at him, before looking down and his shoulders started to shake.

To anyone else, it would look like Luh-Loyd's words had done their job and the villain was now feeling remorse.

But Luh-Loyd didn't let his guard down. It felt almost like it did when he was facing down a monster and trying to earn its trust, but his mental stoplight wasn't showing him green or even yellow. It was blaring in a vivid blood red with alarm bells and danger sirens to go with it.

The shaking continued as a sound from Chen grew louder by the second, until Chen threw his head back revealing he had been shaking from laughter, not remorse, as he cackled long and loud.

It was fortunate Luh-Loyd was still prepared to fight, as Chen suddenly jolted forward and twisted the nunchuck in a way that forced Luh-Loyd back and barely was able to keep his grip on the sword.

"_You!_" said Chen almost gleefully as he giggled and swung the nunchuck at Luh-Loyd again. "Are _funny!"_

Luh-Loyd barely dodged a blow to the head as Chen continued. "You really think some pretty little words are going to appeal to my humanity," he said in a mocking tone. "That suddenly I'll _care_ and we can skip off into rainbows of friendship and happiness. HA!" He rolled his eyes and Luh-Loyd was forced to continue to dodge as he attacked. "In case you didn't notice with one of my guards now being dust in the wind. I. _Don't._ _CARE!"_

Luh-Loyd tried to swipe him with the sword, but Chen caught it in the nunchuck chain, twisted it out of Luh-Loyd's hands, and caught it in his free one as he continued to monologue. Luh-Loyd quickly backed away and grabbed a net on a long metal pole off the dock to use as a makeshift weapon.

"I don't _care_, about the Serpentine! I don't _care_ about people! I don't _care_ if people see me as a villain! All I care about is getting the power I deserve!" He then sent Luh-Loyd a nasty grin as he pointed the Sword of Fire in Luh-Loyd's direction. "And I don't _care_ how many people, Serpentine, or funny, little Ninja brats I have to kill to get it!"

Luh-Loyd stared at him, knowing deep in his gut that every word Chen had just said was the truth. Nothing he could do or say would change his mind, and even trying wouldn't end well for him.

"Speaking of brats," a sneering voice said, shooting a bolt of fear through Luh-Loyd.

He'd forgotten _Pythor!_

The snake in question was gliding down the dock with SJ and Lil-Loyd by the hoods of their clothes, his threatening grip on the Serpentine prince being the reason Lil'Loyd wouldn't risk blasting him, no matter how much it was clear he wanted to.

Seeing this, Luh-Loyd twisted the net-pole in his hand and threw it like a javelin at the Anacondrai. The pole rammed into his gut, forcing the evil Serpentine to drop the children, allowing them to get away from him. Lil'Loyd shot a blast of energy at Chen. The mafia leader dodged, but it was enough for the two dart past and regroup around Luh-Loyd.

"He got us before we could get the weapons," Lil'Loyd said grimly lighting up his hands with more energy as Luh-Loyd grabbed a coil of rope for his next make-shift weapon

"Sssorry," added SJ as he hid behind them.

"It's okay," Luh-Loyd replied as the three of them were backed up to the end of the dock by the encroaching bad guys. Wishing desperately that they could have help. "Let's just focus on getting out of here."

"Aw, leaving so soon," Chen taunted as he brandished the Golden Weapons in his hands at them. "But I was just having fun."

Behind him and Pythor back on the shore, more guards began spilling down the path to hurry and help their boss.

Cornered at the edge of the dock, Lil'Loyd's powers flared as he prepared to blast them. It would be tough. Chen had proved to be a formidable opponent, Pythor should never be underestimated, and with an army of goons backing them up, there was little chance they'd get out of this without being captured or worse.

Still, they wouldn't go down without a fight.

Just as Lil'Loyd was about to blast them, Chen and Pythor stopped in their tracks with looks of surprise on their faces, and behind them, the guards let out cries of shock.

The Lloyds and SJ only had time to glance behind them as a massive tentacle bust out of the sea, wrapped around all three of them, and yanked them off the deck and into the water.

Pythor could only stare at where they'd once stood, his mouth agape. "What was _THAT?!"_ he burst out.

"A leviathan," Chen replied with a confused frown. "That's odd, normally this isn't their primary feeding waters. That one must be really lost and hungry to come here." He then gave a carefree shrug. "Oh well, that's one less thing to worry about."

Pythor seemed to think they still had plenty to worry about if how quickly he slithered off the dock was any indication, the rest of Chen's men were eyeing the water uneasily now too.

Chen rolled his eyes at their fear. "Oh, you idiots. The leviathan just fed, you have nothing to worry about. Now get down there and find me my Golden Weapons before the current washes them away!" he ordered, pointing beneath the dock where Luh-Loyd had kicked the Scythe of Quakes and the Shuriken of Ice.

His men still hesitated.

"NOW!" Chen roared, "Or I'll feed you to the sea monster myself!"

That got the men moving, as they trudged into the surf to search for the weapons and hoped they hadn't washed away.

They would be sea monster chow if they did.

* * *

Meanwhile, far off the coast, the tentacle holding the Lloyds and SJ resurfaced and set the three down on top of another tentacle.

The three of them coughed and gasped for air as they recovered from their surprise dunking, and then looked up at their impromptu rescuer.

"W-What isss that thing?" asked SJ nervously, having never seen anything like it.

Luh-Loyd stared up at the giant tentacle monster that saved them. Something about it felt… familiar. "It's the leviathan that was guarding Dr. Julien!" he exclaimed, recognizing it.

Lil'Loyd gaped up at it as well. "_TAFFY!"_ he called.

The leviathan let out it's groaning call at the name, patting the two blonds on the head in a friendly manner. It was definitely the same leviathan they had seen on the other Ninjago.

"Seriously, can _all _giant monsters move across worlds?" Lil'Loyd had to ask in amazement.

"It's starting to look like it," said Luh-Loyd, patting the tentacle back and beaming up at the sea monster.

"Taffy? Acrosss worldsss? What are you talking about?" asked SJ, completely bewildered at this point.

The Lloyds exchanged an amused glance. At a silent request for permission from Lil'Loyd to tell his new friend the truth, Luh-Loyd smiled and said, "It's a long story, but we'll tell it to you on the way back to Ninjago. You've earned it. That is if Taffy doesn't mind giving us a ride?"

Taffy let out another groan and began swimming west towards the mainland, the tentacle the three were sitting on being held aloft out of the water so they could breathe.

"You ssseriously named it Taffy?" SJ had to ask as they settled in for their journey.

"_WE_ didn't name it, Rusty Echo did," said Lil'Loyd. "See, the thing is…"

They spent their trip home telling SJ all about the parallel worlds and the story of how they were switched. After helping them fight through an island of mobsters, risking life and limb for his people, and riding with them on a sea monster home with them, SJ had earned it.

Lil'Loyd couldn't wait to introduce his friends to the newest Lil'Terror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, the green boys and prince successfully escape the island. Unfortunately, the Golden Weapons are still there along with all the Serpentine hostages, so they're going to have to go back, and soon. Though, going back with back up while the enemy thinks you're dead has some pretty good advantages for them to take advantage of.
> 
> A big thanks, as ever, to Kay Hau for helping beta read this chapter. Some of the Nyas' lines about Wu's song choices, as well as Taffy's name were her ideas. Major thanks.
> 
> Next Time: While Penny and Skylor muse about what their friends are up to, the Lloyds and SJ are found and many things begin coming to light.
> 
> Stay safe and not sick.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Penny and Skylor muse about what their friends are up to, the Lloyds and SJ are found and many things begin coming to light.

_Movie Ninjago_

Penny was worried.

It wasn't easy to tell, she had a good poker face, but Skylor could see it in the way she kept checking her phone for updates about the Ninja Force during their lunch period. The table suddenly felt a lot emptier without Nya there, or Kai, Zane, or any of the rest of the Ninja Force coming by to talk.

It was all Skylor could do to keep her own poker face in check. Unlike Penny and the Ninja Force, she _knew_ what was up. By now her father's Anacondrai agent had likely kidnapped Lloyd and the prince.

While she wasn't happy about that fact, she was somewhat grateful for it. She hadn't been lying before when she told Kai and Nya she thought Lloyd's sweet personality should be protected. Grant it, trapping him in her father's dungeon wasn't exactly what she had in mind, nor what she really wanted, but he'd be safe there. Locked up tight so he couldn't fight against her father and be hurt or worse by doing it.

… Well, relatively safe. Hopefully, she could dissuade or distract Clouse to keep him away from him.

Still, at least she knew Clouse wasn't on the island to do anything to him. Her friends had pulled her out of there before he finished his experiment, and there was no way he wasn't steamed about it. There was no doubt in her mind that he was somewhere still in Ninjago City and would not leave until he was satisfied she had been properly punished, or she did something to make up for her failure on the beach. Considering she was coming up empty on what could make up for that, though she had managed to sabotage Lloyd's radio the day before so he couldn't call for help once kidnapped. That wouldn't be enough to satisfy her father or his right hand, and she was dreading what her punishment would be.

Still, Clouse wouldn't make a move as long as other people were around. So long as she wasn't alone she would be safe.

For now…

Still, seeing Penny fret over their friends made the guilt in her stomach dig in even deeper.

"Hey, I'm sure they're fine," Skylor said encouragingly. "If anything were up, it'd be all over the news."

Penny still looked worried. "Not necessarily," she said.

"What do you mean?" asked Skylor, confused.

Penny glanced around the cafeteria to make sure no one was listening, then leaned over to whisper, "Yesterday I met Jay and Cole's cousins. They were Nick and Cliff. The ones Red came seeking romantic advice about. I found it curious they were wearing ninja gis when they arrived. Nya and Cole informed me that they were active ninja in parts of Ninjago outside the city. I believe I spotted them again in the carriage that arrived this morning. If so, then the Ninja Force's aid could be required anywhere, even potentially in places we would not hear about."

Skylor blinked. That was news to her. Sure, she'd met Red and heard of some of the Ninja Force having cousins and that Red's brother Spike had his True Potential, but it hadn't occurred to her that they might also be in the ninja business as well. She wondered what elements these five mysterious cousins had, or were they element-less ninja like the Lady IronDragon before them.

It was definitely something to look into later.

"Even so, I'm sure they're fine," Skylor assured her friend. "They have mechs, Meowthra and that dragon with them. It'd take a lot to combat that."

Not even her father had a way... yet, but it was only a matter of time before they got the weapons and Clouse or some scientist finished the work Borg left undone.

Thankfully, her words seemed to reassure Penny, and she gave Skylor a smile. "You are correct," she said. "Something such as that would be reported on." Still, she glanced at her phone again. "Still, while I understand there is secrecy required in being a ninja, I do wish there was more I could do to help them."

It was then Skylor noticed Master Wu's book was poking out of Penny's bag, and from the post-its now sticking out of the pages, she had been reading it diligently and taking notes.

The sight made Skylor smile. "Thinking about being a ninja yourself?" she asked tugging the book out of Penny's bag and waving it for the blonde to see.

Penny's cheeks flushed pink and she snatched the book back.

Skylor snickered at that response. "There's no shame in it," she said. "I'm pretty sure everyone in Ninjago wants to be a ninja. The Ninja Force makes it look cool, and who wouldn't want to be a hero."

Penny hugged the book to herself. "Actually, reading this book I am less convinced being a ninja is quite the right… fit for me," she admitted. "However…" She flipped open the book to a page with the most post-it notes in the margins. "According to this book, there are other types of warrior one could commit to."

Skylor peered down at the page and saw an illustration of a ninja next other kinds of fighters, all with brief descriptions of their skill sets and the advantages and disadvantages of that type of fighting. The post-it notes that littered the page all were crammed with speculations of pros and cons of Penny pursuing that form of fighting.

Picking the post-it off the image of a man in armor to get a better look, Skylor let out an impressed whistle. "Wow, you've really put a lot of thought into this," she said. It was clear this was more than a passing fancy for the other girl. She was willing to commit to doing it, but only needed to find the best way how. "Have you picked what you want to do, yet?" she asked.

Penny flushed pink again at the praise but shook her head. "No," she said. "This book only goes into great detail of the ninja side of fighting. Other forms are referenced if they have any similarities or advantages or disadvantages over being such but lack the information to reach a satisfactory conclusion. I require more research before I decide. Still, after seeing what Zane, Nya and the others go through, I wish to help."

Skylor hummed in understanding. It was definitely a Penny thing to do to want to help out in any way she could, even with the danger involved. It was one of the most endearing qualities of the girl that she hoped would never fade. "One question," she said, putting the post-it back and closing the book. "Do you even know how to fight? I mean, it's kind of a requirement to do any of this."

Penny shook her head again. "I am capable of basic self-defense, however, I do not yet have the capacity to fight as well as necessary. I am seeking lessons to better equip myself at the moment, but most in the city are quite expensive."

"Everything in this city is expensive," Skylor said wryly. "I think it's a requirement of being a city." She then grinned as an idea occurred to her. "Wait, what if I teach you?" she offered.

Penny looked at her in surprise.

"I've been studying mixed martial arts pretty much since I could walk," Skylor admitted. "I could teach you what I know, and finding a style you like can help you narrow down what type of fighter you want to be."

Penny's expression lit up. "That would be splendid," she said, nodding eagerly. "Thank you, I find that most agreeable."

"Great!" said Skylor. "First lesson's after school. Don't be late."

Penny giggled. "Yes, Sensei Skylor," she said with a smile.

At that moment, the bell rang to signal the end of lunch.

As they gathered their things to head to their next class, Penny glanced at Skylor and asked, "Have you ever wished to be a ninja?"

Skylor froze, not expecting the question at all.

"I merely ask because with your statement 'Who wouldn't want to be a hero,' you implied that that was a wish you have had as well," said Penny curiously. "Is it?"

Skylor stared down at her bag, before slowly slinging it over her shoulder. "My father would kill me if I ever tried something like that," she said lowly, and only being half metaphorical.

Penny's expression fell at the mention of her father before her face hardened in determination. "You are away from him," she said. "The police are searching for him now, and we will not let him have you again. He can no longer influence your choices."

Skylor could only give Penny a tight smile at that. The blonde girl didn't know how wrong she was.

"Besides," said Penny as she turned to head in the direction of her next class. "I believe you would make a wonderful hero, Skylor."

She then hurried to class.

Skylor could only stare after her, completely floored.

A hero? Her?

Skylor huffed a heavy sigh and trudged to class. "No way."

How could she ever be a hero?

When she's helping the villain.

* * *

Lord Garmadon was _not_ pouting.

He's _NOT!_

Except he totally was as he rode behind his ex-wife as she drove the Green Dragon Mech.

"I can hear you sulking," Koko teased, glancing behind her.

"Am not," Garmadon whined.

Koko let out a hum that said she didn't believe him but would humor him anyway.

"I'm _not!" _Garmadon protested again. "I just think I could have kept driving."

"Garm, we nearly crashed twelve times while you were driving," said Koko, glancing back at him. "How many times have we almost crashed since getting here?"

Garmadon opened his mouth to give a sulky reply, but then his eyes bulged and he shouted, "ONCE!"

Koko's head whipped back around, and she pulled up on the Dragon Mech, forcing them higher into the sky and barely avoiding being plowed over by Meowthra.

The two stared as the giant cat didn't even break pace and continued running as quickly as she could across the sand in an eastern direction.

"Where do ya think she's going?" asked Garmadon, a little miffed at nearly being mowed down.

Even as he said that the radio on the mech cracked to life. "_Hey guys,"_ said Red Nya. "_I was just flying alongside the Ultra Dragon when they suddenly changed direction. Any clue what that's about?"_

On cue Koko and Garmadon looked up to see the four-headed dragon fly past them overhead.

Seeing that, Koko's eyes widened, and she reached for the radio. "I just saw them," she said. "They're headed east. Meowthra just took off in the same direction."

"_You think they know something?"_ asked Spike Kai, his voice tense.

"Well, it's that or they both just decided to go that way to mess with us," said Garmadon into the radio over Koko's shoulder.

"_Aw, Ultra's not like that,"_ said Nick Jay.

"_Meowthra isn't either,"_ agreed Buddy Kai.

"_Right," _said Cliff Cole consideringly. "_What's in that direction?"_

"_East of this location will take you to the jungles outside Ninjago City until one eventually reaches the ocean,"_ said Pep Zane, sounding like a GPS navigation system.

"_The jungle sounds like a good place to hide kidnap victims,"_ said Cyan Nya.

Koko's expression turned determined. "I'm following them," she said, and turn the Green Dragon Mech's controls to follow the cat and the dragon.

"_By yourself?"_ asked Freckles Jay worriedly.

"_Someone else go with them,"_ said Cliff Cole.

"_Uh, they have a dragon and a demon cat as back up," _said DJ Cole dryly.

"Heck yeah, and even without them, no one can stand up to me and Koko's dream team," said Garmadon in agreement.

"_Better safe than sorry, I'll head in their direction as well,"_ Zen Zane volunteered.

"_I'll come too,"_ said both Kais in tandem.

Garmadon scoffed. "Seriously, who do those kids think we are?" he asked, not knowing (or caring) Koko hadn't turned off the radio yet.

"_The Ninja team that kicked your butt,"_ Cyan Nya sassed over the radio.

"Please, I let you win to prolong the thrill of the chase," Lord Garmadon snarked back, and Koko turned off the radio to avoid provoking them more. Since he managed to get the last word, Garmadon didn't complain, considering it a victory.

It wasn't long after that that they caught up to the Ultra Dragon and flew alongside them behind Meowthra as she led the charge.

To their surprise, they bypassed the jungle completely, and instead headed directly to the beach.

Reaching there first, Meowthra paced back and forth in the sand, and Ultra flew right past her out over the water.

Seeing this, Koko turned on the radio again. "It's somewhere across the sea," she said. "The Ultra Dragon just past Meowthra on the beach. We'll keep following them."

Hearing that, the two Kais let out disgruntled exclamations, knowing neither Spike's bike or Buddy's mech would be able to cross the ocean.

"_I will start an ice path when I reach the beach,"_ Zen promised, quieting them somewhat.

Neither of the two on the Green Dragon Mech paid it much notice, their attention focused on the dragon in front of them, determined to keep them in sight.

They'd only flown a few minutes when a large shape sticking out of the water caught their attention.

Koko squinted down at it. "Is that?"

Down below them, a large mass of tentacles was poking out of the ocean, and sitting atop some of the tentacles were three figures that seemed dwarfed in comparison, two of whom were blond.

"It _is!"_ said Garmadon gleefully.

Koko brought the Green Dragon Mech into a dive. The two blond figures on the tentacle jumped up and waved frantically at her approach.

They'd found them!

* * *

The collective searchers reconvened at the gates of Ouroboros, where the two Lloyds were promptly buried under a dogpile of their worried friends.

The reunion between SJ and his parents was not as rough, but no less heartwarming as the little Hypnobrai was cuddled between his mother and father.

All too soon, the dogpile receded from the two blonds, and Cliff Cole looked at them apologetically. "Sorry to cut and run," he said to the others. "Especially when things here are, well, bad, but they're bad back home right now too, and we just came to pick up Llo-Montgomery so we could take care of it."

Luh-Loyd, who'd been filled in by Spike Kai and Zen Zane on the way back to Ouroboros, nodded in understanding. "I get it. Your home comes first. We'll handle things here, and if we finish before you we'll come lend a hand."

"We'll do the same," said Spike Kai from where he had yet to leave Lil'Loyd's side. "As soon as we're finished we'll come and help you get those weapons back."

"Not if we finish first," Cyan Nya challenged.

"You're on," said Red Nya.

King Skales spoke up as the local ninja worked to quickly reassemble the carriage for their departure. "Our thanksss for your aid in sssaving our ssson," he said to Cliff Cole, who he'd correctly determined as the leader.

Cliff rubbed his shoulder uncomfortably, and replied, "We didn't do much, Koko and Lord G are the ones who found them."

King Skales hummed and didn't dispute him. "Tell me, who are you, ssstrange ninja? We only knew of the Ninja Force."

Cliff felt even more uncomfortable at that question, and Nick Jay (having overheard) jumped in to help. "Uh, we're also ninja, but, um, from reeeally far away. You wouldn't have heard of us," he said quickly.

From where he was still being doted on by his mother, SJ let out a hissing little giggle and gave the Ninja a knowing look.

At that moment, Luh-Loyd called over that the carriage was done, and Cliff and Nick beat a hasty retreat before Skales could question them again.

"Bye, SJ!" Lil'Loyd called as he climbed aboard his ride back to his own world.

"Bye, Lil'Loyd! Come play again!" SJ called back after him as his mother and several guards escorted him into the safety of the city

The Serpentine then watched bewildered as the Ultra Dragon pulled the carriage through a portal and vanished.

Given that despite bringing back the prince, the Serpentine were still reluctant to let Lord Garmadon into their city, so it was decided their discussion of their next steps would take place on the Bounty, where Lloyd told his story while Zane sent Penny a message they wouldn't be back in Ninjago until late, and to please continue to guard Skylor until they were back.

"... Lucky for us, the Leviathan was nearby and gave us a lift to shore," Lloyd finished as the Serpentine and his teammates listened intently.

"Yes… lucky…" said King Skales, looking pretty lost how anyone could consider an encounter with a giant sea monster 'lucky'.

"Monster magnet~," Kai said in a singsong voice just loud enough for his teammates to hear and smirk at.

"Monster tamer," Nya whispered back with a knowing grin.

Before anyone could comment on it further, Master Wu brings out a map for them to look at.

Taking a marker, Lloyd circled a section of ocean where he thought the island he'd been held on might be. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to take back any of the Golden Weapons before we got out of there," he said. "So we'll need to get them back and free the other Serpentine trapped there," he then stood back and adds, "And then blow up the island."

"WHAT?" was the collective shout at that conclusion.

"We'll save all the Serpentine first, don't worry," Lloyd assured them.

The Serpentine king and generals stared, his teammates slapped their foreheads, and Koko and Master Wu let out tired sighs.

Lord Garmadon, however, grinned and nodded in agreement. "Oh definitely. That'll take care of it. So how do you want to blow it up? Missiles, TNT, or dropping a volcano on it?"

Lloyd looked like he was honestly considering which would be better, and Koko had to intervene. "No, no, no, you are not blowing up the island."

Lloyd and Garmadon looked at her in honest confusion. "Why not?" they both asked.

As she and most of the Ninja Force then tried to explain _why_ blowing up an entire island was way overkill, the gathered Serpentine only looked on in complete bewilderment.

Seeing this, Jay leaned over and explained, "Ya see, the thing is Lloyd is kind of a guy of extremes when it comes to the bad guys. Either you become friends after he gives an inspirational speech about goodness and love, or he hates your guts, you're enemies for life and he'll blow you to Kingdom Come with a boatload of missiles. There is no in-between. Closest was Garmadon, and I'm pretty sure he got a pass 'cause they're related." Next to him, Cole in agreement as Koko, Kai, Nya, and Zane did their best to talk down the two explosion-happy Garmadon's with little success.

The Serpentine just continued to stare at them.

Humans were strange.

Feeling the argument had gone on long enough, Master Wu said, "Nephew, tell me, were there any animals on the island?"

That broke through the arguing, and they all turned to look at the Ninja Master.

Lloyd frowned, remembering seeing birds, frogs, and a few monkeys on the island during his trek through the jungle. "Yes," he replied.

Catching on, Cole spoke up too, "What about plants? Isolated islands like that have gotta have rare plant life not seen anywhere else."

That gave Lloyd pause, and he nodded slowly, having seen some odd plants he hadn't recognized as well.

"And what'll happen to those plants and animals if you simply 'blow it up'?" asked Master Wu. "It is not possible for us to take all of them off the island as well."

Lloyd visibly deflated at that. "Okay, yeah, you're right," he said, backing down. "We won't just blow it up. We'll find another way to take down Chen."

There was a beat of silence at that name, and Lloyd realized that there had been something he'd left out. "Oh, right, their leader's name is Chen. Sorry, I forgot to mention that."

"Chen!" exclaimed General Arcturus as he and the other generals exchanged glances, recognizing the name, and from the look on Koko's face, she recognized it as well. The Ninja Force just watched on, not understanding their reactions.

Garmadon, who'd been pouting at seeing Lloyd back down from the 'blowing it up' idea, frowned in disgust at that name. "Chen?" he groused. "Aw man, I hate that guy. His weapons were overpriced junk, and he kept making these creepy offers to train me in the 'True Art of Evil' or something like that." He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Like I need training. I am-er-_was_ the best at evil."

The Serpentine generals and Koko turned to look at him in confusion. "Wait, Garm, what are you talking about?" asked Koko.

Lord Garmadon shrugged. "What? I know the guy," he said. "He used to peddle weapons to my Skeleton Army while I was trying to conquer these guys, here," he said, waving at the snakes in the room. "Considering how often those boneheads broke their own weapons they needed them, so it was good to keep him around. Still, that Chen guy was… kookie. Kept saying weird things about how I had 'potential to be greater', and offering me stuff if I kept the war going longer, or pointed out villages to attack he thought would be easy targets, but really he was just trying to get me to do things for him." Garmadon then frowned at a memory. "He was a creep, and we had a falling out after me and Koko started dating on the battlefield, he didn't like that. And he was _really _mad when the war ended so we could get married."

Koko and the Serpentine just stared at him.

Feeling defensive at all the stares, Garmadon said, "What he was! He kept saying junk about how Koko would ruin me, power was everything, I was a fool not to listen to him, blah, blah, blah, all the stereotypical stuff. Ha! Like Koko would ever ruin me, she's one of the best things in my life."

Koko looked flattered at his words before she was all business again. "So you're saying Chen was _helping_ you during the war?" she asked, just to be sure she was hearing what she thought she was hearing.

Garmadon looked at her. "Uh, _yeah. _That's what I just said. What about it?"

"Because he wasss aiding usss as well," said General Acidicus, frowning.

Garmadon stared at them. "What? Helping _you?_ But he was clearly evil!"

"He was not ssso clearly with usss," said General Fangtom with a huff.

"We thought he wasss just eccentric," explained General Skalidor, looking a little sheepish. "... And dramatic… and a jerk… But he never presssented himself as evil, not to usss."

Seeing her ex-husband still looking incredulous, Koko added, "He played the part of a supposedly good samaritan, but came across as more like those people who do charity work just to brag about how nice they are. Obnoxious for sure, but not evil."

"Why would he pretend to be that?" asked Lord Garmadon, still looking confused.

"Because he wasss helping usss against _you_," said General Arcturus.

"What?" exclaimed Garmadon.

King Skales thought back to that time, "He wasss an ally to usss," he said. "He sssold us weaponsss and information to ussse in the fight againssst you. Without him, even with Charmer IronDragon aiding usss, we likely would have fallen againssst you."

"WHAT?" Garmadon yelled.

"So this guy was, what? Prolonging the war?" asked Kai with a frown.

"That doesss seem likely," said General Skalidor. "From what I remember, he wasss quite good at inciting anger in the troopsss. When moral wasss low, he encouraged them to keep fighting endlessssly.

"His wordsss," said General Acidicus, "They could ssspark anger in our soldiersss. Make them rally to fight you no matter what the oddsss. In sssome ways, it wasss inspirational, in othersss it wasss frightening how quickly his wordsss could incite rage."

Garmadon's expression was turning more and more thunderous the more he heard. "That lying _snake!"_ he yelled, paying no mind to the actual snakes standing in the room with him. "He'd do the same with me! Any time I'd start thinking your scaly butts weren't worth the effort, he'd come in and say something to tick me off." He then frowned and eyed King Skales warily. "Unless you _really_ told him that my helmet makes my butt look fat."

Despite the situation, the Ninja Force muffled snickers at that accusation.

King Skales, however, looked affronted both at the former warlord's words and this new knowledge of one he'd thought was an ally. "I assure you, Lord Garmadon, I had far more important thingsss to worry about than how the ssstate of your dressss affects your posssterior."

Hearing that answer did little to calm Lord Garmadon. "Gah, wait 'til I get my hands on that slimy jerk," he continued to rant. "I'll make him _eat_ those stupid masks he makes his followers wear." He glanced at his son and asked, "He still makes them wear them right?"

"Those weird, creepy, purple snake masks?" Lloyd asked. "Yeah, a lot of guards were either wearing that or face paint."

Zane and Nya both jerked to attention at the mention of the masks and paint. "Wait, what did you say they wear?"

"Purple masks that look like snakes. That stupid cheat told me they were to protect them from Serpentine or something," Garmadon grumbled. "Ha, yeah right, bet the jerk just likes 'em. His fashion sense was always weird."

The Ice and Water Ninja exchanged a frantic glance hearing that, and the others looked at them curiously. "Why do you ask?" asked Lloyd.

Something inside Zane let out a whirring noise like a printer, and a paper slowly filtered out of his mouth (much to the incredulous gazes of the Serpentine watching). Taking the paper once it was done, the Nindroid held it up for them all to see. "Do his men dress like this?"

There on the paper was a photograph taken from Zane's memory of several people on the beach. Many of them were wearing masks and face paint like Lloyd and Garmadon had just described. Standing at their head was a man with slicked-back hair, a mustache, and wearing a lab coat as he dragged a limp redheaded girl through the sand.

Koko's eyes widened in recognition at the sight. "Yes! That's his men, and the one in the coat is Clouse, his weapons designer, and right hand."

"And also a total creepo," added Lord Garmadon.

Kai, meanwhile, had grown pale the second he saw the redhead in the picture and recognized her. "That's-! Don't tell me!"

But Nya's face was grim as she confirmed it. "He's also Skylor's father, who attacked her yesterday."

Kai and Zane were already dialing Skylor and Penny's numbers and waiting desperately for them to pick up.

Neither girl answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it all comes out, though maybe too late for it to help. So while the Lloyds and SJ are out of the frying pan, it looks like Penny and Skylor are getting dropped into the fire. Or maybe they're totally fine and ignoring their calls for some reason... yeah, the Ninja aren't that lucky. Still, everyone's finally on the same page about who they're fighting and their connections to that person, though not all of it is correct, as they still think Clouse is Skylor's father. They'll catch on soon enough.
> 
> Big thanks to Kay Hau for once again beta reading this fic. The part were Lloyd and Garmadon are discussing blowing up Chen's island and Koko has to stop them was all her idea, some of the dialogue there was hers too. It was too funny not to add.
> 
> Next Time: The Show Ninja return to their world to start planning. They have a city and some inventors to save.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Show Ninja return to their world to start planning. They have a city and some inventors to save.

_Show Ninjago_

"I go away _one day_ and everything falls apart," Lloyd said as they flew through the portal and arrived back on their Ninjago.

"Looks that way," said Jay with a wry grin. "Up for saving the world again."

Lloyd picked at his seat in the carriage and mumbled, "I guess."

Zane cast him a concerned glance. "It's Pythor, isn't it."

Lloyd said nothing.

"Don't worry about him, Lloyd," Cole promised. "All you need to do is fire up your powers around the Nindroids to take them out of commission. Leave Pythor to us."

"Yeah," agreed Kai, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. "That slimy snake has a lot of payback coming to him. Count on that."

Lloyd perked up a little bit hearing that.

Nya, who had been trying to radio Steep Wisdom, frowned when she got no response. It wasn't until she tuned into her Samurai X Cave ("You have a cave?" Lloyd asked in surprise. "I know! She didn't tell any of us," Jay griped) that she was able to contact someone.

"_Nya! Thank goodness,"_ said Misako over the video screen. "_You took so long, we were beginning to worry something had happened. Garmadon was just about to use Traveler's Tea to come after you."_

The Ninja shared a glance. That wasn't good. They'd experimented with Traveler's Tea to see if they could use that to go between Ninjagos, but found that Traveler's Tea tended to get confused when trying to go to alternate versions of the same world. At best you ended up somewhere else on the same Ninjago you left from. At worst you found yourself on a different world entirely. Rarely did the tea actually take them to the Ninjago they actually _wanted_ to go to.

"_Wu had to sit on him to stop him,"_ called Ed from somewhere off-camera, sounding very amused by it.

"_I would have been fine!"_ they heard the muffled voice of Sensei Garmadon call.

"_Traveler's Tea is too risky, Brother,"_ Sensei Wu chastised him. "_A little more waiting wouldn't hurt."_

"Something did happen," Nya replied, glancing back at Lloyd. "But we're back now, and our counterparts are handling it. When we finish here we'll go help them out."

"Or they'll help _us_ out," added Jay. "It's kind of a race."

"_Well, meet us at the Samurai X Cave and we'll work out how we'll win that race," _said Misako with a small smile.

The Ninja all voiced their agreement, and the Ultra Dragon pulled carriage onwards.

* * *

They arrived at the cave, and the parents all hiding there hurried out to greet them. Lloyd was immediately swept up by his own family, who had probably deduced that whatever delayed them from coming back to their world had to do with him, and they were quickly proven right as he and the other Ninja explained everything.

Sensei Garmadon's expression had darkened when he heard who was partially responsible for his son's kidnapping this time. "Chen," He practically spat the name like it was a foul word. "If I could go the rest of my life without hearing that name again, then I'd die a happy man."

"You know him?" asked Lloyd, looking up at his father in surprise.

"Unfortunately, I knew the version of him here, yes," said Sensei Garmadon with a grim nod. "He gave us quite a bit of trouble back in the day."

"But that is a story for another time," said Sensei Wu. "For now, we must focus our attention on today's problem."

"The Nindroids," said Cole with a frown. He then turned to face the others as they gathered around to start planning. "We need to take back the city, and save Borg and Zane's dad."

"How?" asked Kai. "You saw what happened last time we went there guns blazing. I doubt trying the same again will do much better."

"But this time we have a secret weapon," said Nya with a grin as she ruffled Lloyd's hair, getting a giggle out of the little blond.

"Yeah, but if we just go in knocking out Nindroids with his powers, then Pythor might have them attack the hostages before we can save them," Kai pointed out.

"So we've gotta save Dr. Julien and Dr. Borg first," said Lloyd like this should be obvious.

"That's not going to be easy," said Jay doubtfully. "After our last attack, that place is gonna be locked up tighter than Cole's grip on the last piece of cake. ("Hey!" squawked Cole.) And wherever they're keeping the robot dads is sure to be even more secure."

"Perhaps an alternative route would be successful," offered Zane, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"I have run all possible scenarios of ground or air-based entry taken from the data gathered from the footage your falcon collected and our own attempt at rescue," said Pixal. "None are successful. At best we can allow another small number of trapped citizens to escape before being captured ourselves, which is not ideal."

"There's really no other way?" asked Nya at that dismal news.

"None that I can see, no," replied Pixal.

"Then, perhaps, if the solution can not be seen from above, one must look below to find the answers," said Sensei Wu sagely.

The Ninja exchanged bewildered glances at that before it clicked for all of them at once. "The Sewers!" they cried.

Pixal's face turned contemplative hearing that. "Combining my knowledge of the city's sewer system with the data already gathered… we could possibly sneak in that way. Provided we are not discovered."

"Then let's plan a way in there that has the least likelihood of that," said Zane.

Pixal smiled, and they pulled up a map of the sewers to get started.

However, before Zane could even look at the map, Cole's father, Lou, came over and tapped him on the shoulder and nodded for him to follow him for a talk. "Begging your pardon, Zane," said Lou apologetically. "I know your planning is important, but I think it might be best you check in on your little brother."

Zane blinked, and only then realized he hadn't seen Echo anywhere since they had gotten there. Worry overtook him in an instant. "Is he alright?" he asked Lou frantically. "Did he fall apart again? Are his mechanics damaged?"

Lou shook his head. "No, no, no," he said calmly. "As far as any of us can tell he's fine physically, and believe me, the Walkers have checked, but emotionally… that's a bit more of a conundrum. The poor boy has been stuck in the doldrums ever since you left."

Zane's face fell hearing that. Of course Echo was broken up emotionally. He'd been ripped apart and watched their father be dragged off while he was helpless to stop it. And then Zane had done so little to help, storming off so soon afterward in a futile rescue attempt. The Master of Ice was kicking himself for not realizing his brother was hurting inside.

Lou led him over to a corner of the cave. It didn't take Zane long to spot his brother sitting curled up in a corner with Edna fretting over him. At the sight of his approach, she brightened at the sight of him. "Oh, here comes your brother, dearie," she said encouragingly. "I'll leave you to it." She sent Zane an apologetic glance and added, "You boys really need to talk."

With that, Edna hurried to join her husband with Lou following after her, and Zane continued to approach his brother, who had not even looked up when Edna told him he was coming.

Zane sat down beside him, and Echo shifted so his back was to him. "You left," the younger Nindroid said sullenly.

Zane winced. "I'm sorry," he said honestly. "I should have talked to you before I went."

His words did little to comfort Echo. If anything, it made the bronze Nindroid tense up more. "You shouldn't have left," he said.

Despite his guilt, Zane couldn't help the flare of irritation at those words. He'd been hearing that his rushed plan to attack the Nindroids was a bad idea from everyone the moment he decided on it, and hearing it from Echo too was not helping.

"I know my plan did not work," he said, trying to keep his voice even. "But they have Father. I had to try and save him if I could."

Echo still refused to look at him. "He's my father too," he mumbled.

Zane turned to look at him in surprise. "What?" he asked.

Echo finally turned to look at him, a frown marring his normally kind face. "You. Left. Me. _Behind!"_ he said accusingly. "He's my father too! I wanted to come with you!"

Zane blinked, feeling totally taken aback. This was not at all what he expected when he started this conversation. "Echo…" he said, struggling to regain his composure. "Your body, they ripped you apart last time. I couldn't let them do it again!"

Echo scowled down at his rusted limbs but didn't back down. "I _know _that!" he said. "I know I'm not as strong as you. I know I'm not as strong as _them!_" He looked up at his brother, a determined gleam in his eyes. "But they took our father, and I was built to protect those who can't protect themselves! I _have_ to help get him back _somehow!"_

Zane stared at his brother like it was the first time seeing him. Then he let out a sigh, and a small smile graced his face. "I know," he said. "We will get him back. Together."

Finally, the frown left Echo's face, though it was replaced with a sheepish expression. "Great! But… I don't really know how? Not without-" as if on cue, his arm fell off again, proving his point.

Zane huffed a soft laugh as he reattached the limb. As he did, he caught sight of a mech building workshop over Echo's shoulder, where Nya would repair her Samurai X Mech whenever it was damaged in a fight. Due to that, various mech parts were scattered around the tables ready to be used.

Seeing the scattered parts gave Zane an idea. Looking down at his little brother, he said, "You know, I never got the chance to show you Master Building, didn't I?"

Echo blinked at him curiously but followed after Zane as he moved to ask Nya for permission to use the parts.

If his brother wanted to go into battle, then he would do so while being as protected as possible.

* * *

In the end, their plan was pretty simple.

Lloyd would be snuck into the city through the sewers with half their collected team going with him for protection. The rest would use the Bounty and the remaining mechs and vehicles to cause a distraction for the Nindroids so they could sneak in unnoticed.

Still, the Ninja were rather skeptical of one particular point.

"Zane, are you _sure_ you want to bring _Echo_ with us?" asked Kai, who was part of the sneak-in team.

Jay nodded in agreement. "Yeah, no offense, but he's not exactly the most…" He paused and tried to think of the right word. "Durable."

Lloyd's expression soured at Jay's words. "Then what's that say about you?" he said in defense of his friend. "He sure beat you during that training exercise in the forest, didn't he."

Jay looked more than a little put out at that, and the other Ninja around them looked sheepish. That exercise had been a humbling experience for all of them. None had liked getting beaten back multiple times by children half their height. "He-He had your help with that!" Jay protested, trying to save face.

"And he'll have _our _help this time," Lloyd shot back. "Echo's plenty tough."

Echo looked flustered at Lloyd's words and smiled at him. "Thanks, Lloyd."

Lloyd just grinned up at him and held up a hand to high five him. "Lil'Terrors stick together," he said as Echo clapped his hand.

"Lloyd is correct," called Zane from where he was building something with Nya's spare parts just out of sight. "And to answer your question, Kai, yes, I'm sure."

"Okay, but how are you going to keep him from falling apart during the mission?" asked Cole, still concerned.

"With this," Zane called back, and they all looked to see what he'd built. The very sight of it caused Echo to gasp in delight.

It was a mech. Not a very big one, but it would work well as an armor-like exosuit that looked like it was both ready for any terrain and would pack a mean punch, especially with reinforced titanium plating for protection, and missile launchers built into the shoulders.

Zane smiled at his brother, and said, "I built this so that you will fit within it securely. That way even if your limbs come loose, they will not fall off. This will keep you together, keep you safe, and allow you to show those Nindroids what you're made of."

Echo beamed at his brother as he hurried over for a better look. "I love it, Big Brother," he said and scrambled to let Zane strap him in.

"Then we're ready?" asked Cole.

Echo, now fully strapped in, experimentally did a few mock kicks and punches with his mech, each one looking forceful enough that you did _not_ want to be hit by them.

Zane smiled at the sight and turned back to face Cole. "We're ready."

* * *

The team that would be sneaking into the city, Lloyd, Kai, Zane, Pixal, and Echo, gathered at a manhole just outside the city's limits.

"You're sure this will take us into the city?" Kai asked Pixal as Zane pried the lid off.

Pixal nodded. "My internal map of the city's drainage system indicates so."

"Then we will follow your lead," Zane said, offering a hand to help her down the ladder.

Pixal daintily took his hand and allowed him to help her down into the sewers.

Lloyd climbed down afterward with Kai and Zane hovering at the top and bottom to help him if he slipped, with the Red Ninja climbing down once he was safely on the ground, and Echo jumping in after him.

"This way," said Pixal, pointing them down one of the tunnels.

Following her directions, they trudged through the smelly tunnels, keeping their ears open and their eyes peeled for the red glow of Nindroid eyes.

Thankfully, all was quiet. They didn't have very long until the rest of their team, the Senseis, and Misako began their distraction. They would need to hurry so that their absence wouldn't be noticed once it did.

The sewers were silent save for the sound of water dripping down, and the occasional scuttle of rats, but none that bothered them.

Then, a flash of glowing red eyes ahead of them caught their eye, and Kai and Zane sprang into action.

Darting ahead, the two Ninja leaped at the owner of the eyes, and he let out a cry of shock as they restrained him.

Turning on a flashlight feature of his mech, Echo shown it at their captive.

Only for all of them to blink in surprise as they realized it wasn't a Nindroid Kai and Zane now restrained, it was-

"Skales?" asked Lloyd in surprise.

The Serpentine let out a snarl and shoved the Ninja away with his tail. "Get off me, you cretinsss!" he hissed. He then picked himself up and brushed away any dust he'd gained from being tackled to the floor. Once he was done, he took a better look at his attackers, and his scowl worsened. "Oh. It'sss you," he said with derision. He then glanced at Lloyd, and almost looked disappointed. "SSSo you got the sssmall one back. Pity, the bigger one wasss more agreeable."

"What are you doing down here, Skales?" Kai demanded, making sure to stand between him and Lloyd, his fists already aflame to fight.

Skales huffed. "None of your busssiness," he snarled.

"I'm afraid it is," said Zane firmly. "If you are allied with Pythor-"

"Pythor?" Skales asked in honest bewilderment. "He'sss dead."

Well, that was one enemy team up they didn't need to worry about.

"Yeah, not so much," said Lloyd bitterly.

"Are you not aware of current events?" asked Pixal. "He is the cause of Ninjago City's current crisis."

Skales quirked an eye-ridge at them. "That messss with the robotsss?" he asked. "All the better to ssstay down here."

"But why?" Echo asked curiously. "Why stay down here?"

"I have my reasssons," snapped Skales, not looking like he wanted to elaborate more.

At least, not until said reason spoke up from out of the darkness behind him.

"Daddy? Are you okay?" said a very young sounding voice.

The Ninja wheeled around, and Echo shined his light at the voice.

To all of their surprise, two more Hypnobrai stood there, one a pink adult female, who was shielding the other as best she could.

But the one who had spoken, a much younger child, was looking at them curiously. One who was _very_ familiar to Lloyd.

"No way," he whispered. "It's SJ!"

Suddenly, the lack of Serpentine attacks since the quakes made a lot more sense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, more snakes to deal with. At least these ones are possibly more friendly. Anyway, once again, it's on Lloyd to save the day. At least this time he just has to zap them, not have a whole big fight. Then again, it's not likely it's going to be that easy. At least now they have more backup with Echo. Echo's got himself a mech, and he's super happy about it. Zane is kind of realizing he can't just wrap his brother in bubble wrap and assume he can take care of everything himself. Sometimes Echo has to fight his own battles, as that's what he was built to do too.
> 
> As ever, a big thanks to Kay Hau for helping with this story. Echo confronting Zane about leaving him behind was her idea, and we both thought it would be a good way to show his character.
> 
> Next Time: Skylor and Penny make plans to start their martial arts lessons. Unfortunately, they're interrupted by some shocking revelations and unwanted visitors.


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skylor and Penny make plans to start their martial arts lessons. Unfortunately, they're interrupted by some shocking revelations and unwanted visitors.

_Movie Ninjago_

School ended without much fanfare, though the gossip mill was still buzzing with theories as to why the dragon-drawn carriage had come for the Ninja Force.

If Penny had any of her own theories, she was keeping them to herself, and Skylor was grateful for it. There was less of a chance she'd let something slip if they didn't talk about it.

It was just when they were wondering what they should do next when a text was sent to Penny from Zane.

'_Zane:_

_Our mission is taking longer than expected. Please stay with Skylor for her safety. I will contact you again soon.'_

Skylor felt relieved when she read that over Penny's shoulder. It may have been paranoia, but she could have sworn she'd seen flashes of a white lab coat outside the school windows throughout that day and had no doubt Clouse had been lurking nearby. She knew the moment she was alone Clouse would make his move, but her father's need for secrecy would keep him at bay so long as she was around others. Anything to stave off her punishment was something she was grateful for.

Penny, however, frowned slightly at the message, as if thinking something over. Then, with a nod like she had made a decision, she turned to Skylor and said, "Would it be agreeable if we had our first martial arts lesson at my house? There is space in the basement where we could practice, or outside in the yard if that is preferable."

Skylor grinned. "Sounds great," she said. "It's not like we can go back to my apartment."

Penny nodded, her expression still oddly serious for simply inviting a friend over to her house.

The blonde girl led her to modest duplex and unlocked the door to one side of the building before stepping aside to allow Skylor inside.

"Father!" Penny called as she entered behind her. "I'm home! And I brought one of my friends!"

"You did?" called a surprised voice from somewhere deeper in the house. "Splendid! I do look so forward to meeting them! Which friend is it?"

Penny moved onwards towards the voice, no doubt going to explain the circumstances of Skylor's visit to him.

Skylor glanced around at the front room of the house and was relieved to see that the blinds on all the windows were nearly closed, only cracked just enough to let in a small amount of light. She had little doubt if Clouse was following her he would try to peer in, but the blinds being how they were, he wouldn't be able to see much. Still, she was glad Penny's father was home. The scientist may have tried taking his chances if it had just been two teenage girls in the house.

As Skylor continued studying her surroundings, she could hear the sound of Penny returning with her father, though, strangely, she could only hear one set of footsteps.

The reason why soon became painfully clear and Skylor suddenly found herself unable to breathe.

Penny stepped into the room pushing a wheelchair in front of her, and the person _in_ the wheelchair was the absolute _last_ person Skylor had been expecting.

Penny gave her a shy smile. "Skylor, I'd like you to meet my father-"

"Cyrus Borg," Skylor choked out in a strangled tone. "But you- But he- He- He doesn't _have _a daughter! Your last name is _Allons!_"

This couldn't be happening! The very inventor her father was so desperate to find was sitting right in front of her. They'd been searching the most remote parts of Ninjago for his hiding place and he'd been here in the city this whole time! If her father found out he'd be furious they'd missed him.

Something cold pooled in Skylors stomach as she thought that last sentence. Should she really be thinking _if… _or _when?_

Did she really have to betray the one friend she hoped she could keep?

Not seeming to realize the reason behind Skylor's shocked reaction, Borg chuckled. "Ah, you've heard of me," he said in a perfectly friendly tone. "Yes, I'm afraid Allons has been an alias we've been forced to adopt in recent times. And as for how I now have a daughter, well, I'll have her tell you," he said, turning to Penny with a proud smile.

Penny nodded, still looking nervous. "Yes. I apologize for deceiving you before. You see my name is not actually Penny Trixie Allons, but rather-" she paused and her entire form shimmered for a moment, before coming into focus again. "-Pixal," she finished. "My real name is Pixal Borg."

Skylor could only stare at her friend. Her hair was now a shining silver and her skin was metallic and covered in lavender circuitry. "You-You're a-"

"An android," Penny-no-Pixal said with another nod. "Like Zane. He's the only other one who knows," She then ducked her head shyly. "Is this something you would dislike about me?" she asked worriedly.

"No!" the word was out of Skylor's mouth before she could even think about it, and it wasn't until after it was said she realized it was true. Penny-Pixal being an android… that wasn't a problem. She was surprised, oh boy was she surprised, but she'd not had any problems with Zane being one, why should she with Penny? If anything, suddenly a lot of things about the girl made a lot more sense.

Penny being an android wasn't the problem. The problem was what her father or Clouse would do if he ever found out.

Skylor's brain stalled as she instantly remembered why she was here.

_CLOUSE!_

With that thought, Skylor's eyes shot to the windows. Sure enough, there was Clouse's silhouette, pressed against the window trying to see through the blinds, but to her relief, due to the angle of the window he was looking in and because of the blinds he wouldn't be able to see the Borgs. All he could likely make out was Skylor.

At least, he wouldn't have if Borg hadn't wheeled his chair across the room to her to offer her a hand to shake. "It's very nice to meet a friend of my daughter's," he was saying, still as perfectly friendly, completely unaware of the danger.

Clouse's silhouette disappeared from the window, and Skylor knew there was no escape. He'd seen Borg.

"Put it back on!" Skylor said urgently, knowing they had only seconds.

Borg and Pixal blinked at her in confusion. "What?" asked Pixal, now looking slightly hurt.

"That- whatever made you look human, put it back on! Put it back on _now!"_ Skylor demanded forcefully. "_Please!"_

Some of her fear must have shown on her face because Pixal flickered and suddenly Penny was there once again.

And just in time as the wall exploded inwards.

All three of them were sent sprawling in the debris, their heads ringing but otherwise unharmed.

Though how long they would stay that way with a mech bearing down on them was anyone's guess.

As if the mech wasn't enough, several of Skylor's father's men began surrounding the opening in the wall as Clouse stepped through the wreckage to study them.

"Excellent work, Skylor," he said as he looked down at Borg. "You found our wayward inventor. Your father will be most pleased."

Borg, who had been thrown from his wheelchair by the blast, looked up at Clouse like he couldn't believe he'd been found. "Her-her father?" he asked.

Chen sneered down at him. "Why yes," he said. "You were foolish enough to invite Master Chen's own daughter through your own front door."

The look of absolute horror and betrayal on Penny's face hearing that was sure to haunt Skylor's nightmares for years to come, but she couldn't focus on that now. She had an act to maintain if she wanted to have any hope of protecting her.

Skylor stood up and dusted herself off. "Yes, well, who would have thought the Ninja Force was hiding him this whole time," she lied through her teeth, her cold professional mask coming down. "They sent me here to act as a safe house after you 'attacked' me yesterday."

The betrayed look on Penny's face switched to confusion, no doubt wondering why Skylor would claim the Ninja Force was behind her arrival here instead of Penny herself.

"I suppose this discovery will forestall your punishment," Clouse mused. He then turned his attention to Penny and looked at her in disinterest. "And this one?" he asked.

Skylor nearly fainted from relief, that one question making it clear Clouse hadn't seen her true form and had no clue who she was. Instead, she took purposeful steps to stand between Clouse and Penny, blocking her from view. "A friend from school," she said. "Just an escort here so I wouldn't be alone, but Borg was too polite to not invite her in for a drink before she left."

More lies, but Penny seemed to remember what Skylor had said before about Clouse's interest in Zane, and kept her mouth shut.

Clouse sneered again. "And I suppose as your _friend_ you wish her unharmed."

Skylor said nothing, but her silence was answer enough.

Clouse rolled his eyes. "Very well, bring her along. We can't have her warning the Ninja Force, after all."

Skylor nodded and grabbed Penny's arm to pull her to her feet. "I'm sorry," she whispered in a barely audible voice so that Clouse couldn't hear before two goons came over to keep her from running.

Penny still seemed too shocked to really fight back, still staring at Skylor with an utterly lost expression, though when some more of the goons roughly shoved Borg back into his wheelchair, she did give a cry of protest and struggled against her captors' grips.

Clouse scoffed, mistaking her worry as that of any decent concerned citizen over a disabled man. "Relax, girl," he said. "We will not harm the good doctor." He gave Borg a menacing look, and added, "We need him in good shape to finish our little project."

Borg looked too pale and frightened to even speak. Both he and Penny could see they were surrounded with no escape, and out of fear for each other, made no move to try.

Then, someone tried for them.

"SURPRISE!" came a shout from above, and that was all the warning they had before a ninja in a vivid fuchsia gi appeared out of nowhere and kicked the goons holding Borg in the face, before beginning to fight off the rest and doing a good job of it too.

Scowling at the interruption, Clouse said only one word. "Skylor."

Hearing that, the Fuchsia Ninja turned just in time to barely dodge a fireball to the face.

Penny let out a strangled gasp at the sight. "Skylor? What?" she asked in bewilderment.

Skylor did her best to ignore her and focus on the enemy at hand. The Fuchsia Ninja was looking at her in surprise before his eyes narrowed behind the mask and took a fighting stance against her.

Shifting into one herself, Skylor let her fists burn with Kai's flames. She had nothing against the Fuchsia Ninja, but the goodwill she would gain beating him here would go a long way in allowing her to protect her friends.

And she was going to need all the goodwill from her father that she could get.

The Fuchsia Ninja made the first move and launched himself at her, but Skylor dodged his punch, and the Fuchsia Ninja had to jerk back to avoid a flaming retaliation.

They continued like that, but Skylor knew she couldn't keep it up for long. Loathed though she was to admit it, the Fuchsia Ninja was a better martial artist than her, and it was only the use of her borrowed fire keeping him at bay so he couldn't take her down. Still, she knew she couldn't keep this up. Using fire like this was draining, and given she still hadn't found her True Potential they could fail her at any moment.

On cue, the second that thought passed through her head, the flames on her fists fizzled out.

Sensing her weakness, the Fuchsia Ninja darted forward, looking ready to drive his fist into her stomach.

Reacting quickly, Skylor summoned a quick jet of water to knock the ninja back into a wall of the busted house.

The Fuchsia Ninja seemed frozen in shock at the water, before slowly climbing back to his feet to keep fighting.

But before he could get back to her, a large metal limb of Clouse's mostly forgotten mech swung at him and knocked him through the wall and under a pile of bricks.

Clouse smirked that his creation had landed the final blow, only for his expression to sour as his mech shuddered and fell to pieces a second later. "Meddlesome Ninja. He sabotaged it before showing himself," Clouse muttered, realizing what had happened, and quickly Master Built the remains of the machine into a large helicopter. He then turned to address his men. "Come, we've wasted enough time here."

The goons dragged Penny and Borg away with Skylor trudging reluctantly behind, guilt once again bubbling to the surface.

Her last sight before climbing into Clouse's helicopter was the Fuchsia Ninja struggling to get free of the brick pile but was not able to stumble out until they were already flying far out of reach. She kept quiet about the sight, knowing Clouse would want to finish the job if he knew the ninja had survived.

There was nothing he could do to stop them anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the good news is, we know what happened to Penny and Skylor. The bad news is, they were taken by Clouse to be held captive on Chen's island, which the Lloyds only just escaped from. Skylor's in some pretty deep mental turmoil right now. Penny was the one friend she thought she wouldn't have to betray to her father. But now, to protect her robotic nature from being discovered by Clouse, she had to do just that. It was a no-win situation for her, but she's trying to protect them as best she can. Meanwhile, Penny/Pixal is sure to have her own turmoil discovering she'd just let someone connected to the one person they were hiding from right in her front door. It was a brave thing she did to let down her guard around Skylor and let her in on their secrets, and it totally backfired thanks to Clouse following them. If Clouse hadn't been there, whether or not Skylor would have kept Borg's location secret is up in the air. On one hand, finding him isn't her mission and she doesn't want to hurt her friend, on the other, what Chen would do to all of them if he found out she didn't tell him would be horrific. You decide.
> 
> A big thanks to Kay Hau for helping plan and beta reading this chapter. She was a big help. She and I wrote a a pair of joint fics for April Fools day, so check out my Triple the Ninja, Triple the Fun, and her Ninjago Version 3 point 0 fics.
> 
> Next Time: The Ninja Force arrives at Penny's house and are horrified at the destruction left behind. Meanwhile, Penny gets a good look at Skylor's home life.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ninja Force arrives at Penny's house and are horrified at the destruction left behind. Meanwhile, Penny gets a good look at Skylor's home life.

_Movie Ninjago_

With the girls not answering their phones, the Ninja Force and Wu all but raced back to the city on the Bounty to find them. Koko and Garmadon remained behind with the Serpentine to plan their next move now that Chen had the weapons.

When neither Penny or Skylor answered their phones after the nth time they tried to call, Jay routed their numbers through his supercomputer remotely to track them. Skylor's phone was nowhere to be found, but they did get a hit on Penny's.

Tracking the phone's signal to a wrecked house was not what any of them wanted to see.

Kai immediately began running around the wreckage shouting Skylor's name with Nya at his heels calling for Penny, while Zane desperately dug through a large pile of debris where his sensors told him Penny's phone was.

He didn't know if he should feel relieved or not to not find Penny under there alongside the cracked phone.

The Ninja Force continued to search frantically through the wreckage for some clue to where they'd gone when they heard the rumbling of a motorcycle pull to a stop in front of the house.

Turning to look, they all saw Morro getting off his bike and walking over to them, pulling his motorcycle helmet off stiffly, his hair damp with sweat. "There you are," he said, his expression serious, though he gave a wince at the sight of the wreckage. "I've been trying to get through to you."

"Morro," said Lloyd, running over to his cousin with Wu at his heels.

"Do you know what happened, Son," asked Master Wu, his face concerned.

Morro's frown deepened. "I was contacted by the Fuchsia Ninja," he said. "He said there had been an attack here. That a rogue Master Builder and his thugs tore apart this house to get the people who live there. Tinman's little girlfriend and her father."

"AND HE DIDN'T STOP THEM!?" Kai shouted furiously.

"Oh, he tried," Morro said ruefully, rubbing his neck. "And from how he was walking he has the bruises to prove it."

"Is he okay?" asked Lloyd worriedly.

Morro gave Lloyd a smile. "He'll be fine, Shrimp. I got some healing tea into him so he'll be fixed up soon."

"Doesn't change the fact he let them get away," Kai growled.

"Kai," Master Wu scolded.

Morro shot Kai a glare for saying that. "I'm sure he would have stopped them if your own little girlfriend hadn't been helping them," he said in a biting tone.

"WHAT?" shouted all of them in shock.

"What are you talking about?" Nya said, her expression falling. "Skylor wouldn't!''

"LIAR!" shouted Kai, refusing to believe it.

"She _did_, Kai," Morro said firmly.

Kai actually had to take a step back hearing that. With the exception of Wu, Morro almost _never_ called people by their real name. Everyone had their own semi-insulting nickname that they'd long since given up on dissuading. The fact that Morro hadn't called him Pyro like he always did hammered home he was serious. That Skylor had actually…

"Why?" asked Zane, looking utterly heartbroken. "Why would she do that? Penny is her friend. _We_ are her friends… Why?"

"Dunno," said Morro, looking almost apologetic at them for having to give them the news. "Apparently the Master Builder told her to attack him, and she did." He then frowned. "Weird thing, though," he added, sending Kai and Nya a funny look. "From what the Fuchsia Ninja said, she was using _your _fire powers while she was doing it," he said, looking at the Fire Ninja, then turned to his sister, "and then finished the fight with _your_ water powers."

The look of utter bewilderment on everyone's faces showed they clearly had no clue what he was talking about. Only Wu looked like he had some idea of what was going on.

Catching on to that, Lloyd turned to him and said, "Uncle Wu?"

Master Wu sighed and pulled his flute to his lips and played a song most of the Ninja Force didn't recognize.

Except for Cole, who liked music just as much as their teacher. "_Sweet Amber_," he said thoughtfully. "Metallica always sounds weird on a flute."

Hearing that, Morro's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, you're saying she-"

"Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying," said Master Wu with a nod to his son.

"Saying _what?_ What is going on here?" asked Jay, sounding utterly lost, and the rest were also growing frustrated at the lack of answers.

"That it seems Skylor, like you, is an Elemental Master," said Master Wu solemnly. "And from what Morro is describing, it is likely she is the Master of Amber. The power of absorption and replication."

"So, she what? Copied Kai's powers and mine?" asked Nya incredulously.

Morro scoffed. "Not just you and the Pyro," he said. "Given what close quarters you had her in to 'protect' her, I'd bet my bike she's got _all_ of your powers by now."

None of the Ninja Force looked like they knew how to respond to that, but before any of them could come up with one, the sound of running footsteps caught their attention.

They turned to see Prof. Julien running towards them, his expression one of worry.

Zane's face crumbled at the sight of him, and he rushed over to hug his father. "Dad! It is awful!" he said, ice cubes falling from his eyes. "Penny is gone! Why would they take Penny?"

The Ninja Force gave their friend sympathetic looks, all of them reeling from this latest development.

None of them were expecting Prof. Julien to actually have an answer.

"I'm afraid I know," he said gravely, looking at the destroyed remains of the house.

"How?" blurted out Jay, the questions that had been piling up since they'd gotten here finally becoming too much for him. "How do you know? Why did Penny and her dad get taken? Who is this Chen guy? Why did he want them? Heck, how did you know to come here? WHAT IS GOING ON?"

Prof. Julien almost smiled at that bundle of questions. Likely because he was well used to them from Echo. "In order," he said. "Because I helped set it up. Miss Penny and her father were in hiding from Chen. Chen is a vicious mob boss with ambitions for greater power. He wants them because Penny's father and my old friend, Cyrus Borg, is capable of completing a mech for Chen that could spell doom for Ninjago. I knew to come here because I saw their safehouse's destruction on the news, and I believe that should give you an idea as to what is going on."

There was a long beat of silence. Then-

"WHAT?"

"Oh, before you point out that Cyrus Borg does not have a daughter, I suppose I should mention that Penny is an android, and from what Zane told me last night, we had best find her fast."

"_**WHAT?!"**_

* * *

Penny kept silent as she was led with her arms tied behind her back through the hallways of a lavish mansion, feeling like she was being led to her execution.

The fact it was Skylor leading her through the halls among the many guards did little to soothe her worries. If anything, it made her emotions far harder to process.

Skylor… Her friend… Was the daughter of Chen!

She still couldn't fathom it. With the knowledge now provided, she could in a logical sense see it. There were numerous physical similarities between Chen and Skylor, such as their shared auburn hair and the color of their eyes. But emotionally, her internal systems could not compute it.

Still, the familiar way Skylor now strode through the halls a step behind the man who had led in their capture only further proved what Penny was trying to deny. Penny and her father were now taken by the very people she had always tried to avoid.

Skylor was Chen's daughter, and she had led her right to them.

Still, there were still some things that simply did not make sense. The evidence of abuse the Ninja Force had found seemed too thorough to have been faked, as well as the clear fear on Skylor's face and her words of warning before Clouse had burst in also did not point to someone seeking her father. The lies she had told and the many whispered apologies had also added to the mystery. What, if any, of her knowledge of Skylor was real, and what was false?

Penny was brought out of her internal struggles when they were brought into an imposing office and made to stand before the very man that Penny had hoped to never meet and that her father would never have to see again.

Chen.

The mob boss grinned at her father gleefully. "Oh, there you are, Borgy," he said in a tone that could almost be mistaken for friendly as he strode over to circle her father like a shark. "You gave us quite a scare, running off like that. You should have known better. Leaving your project for us unfinished, tsk, tsk, tsk. But no matter, we found you eventually."

Borg squirmed under Chen's scrutiny, and said, "I-I had to," he said. "You lied when you told me that monstrosity I built was for the good of Ninjago. That it would end our conflict with Garmadon for good."

"And I was telling the truth," said Chen with a sinister smile. "Nothing Garmadon or the Ninja Force can throw at us could stop it, and Ninjago will be better…" His grin widened as he finished, "crushed in the palm of my hand."

Borg just glared at Chen with courage that Penny knew he didn't really feel. "I will not help you," he said firmly.

Chen sneered at his attempt at bravery. "Oh, is that so?" he asked. "I seem to recall you're a bleeding heart, Borgy. I have _several_ innocent little Serpentine locked in my dungeon I'd be happy to torture until you say 'yes', or…" He glanced over at Penny, and she suppressed a shudder. "If you don't care much about those snakes, maybe I can start with this little girl."

Chen then paused and blinked, seeming to only just now register she was there. "Wait, who is this girl, anyway?" he asked.

"A friend of mine from school," Skylor answered him, her face expressionless and her tone empty. "She saw us capturing Borg, and was brought along to ensure no witnesses."

Penny briefly wondered about the Fuchsia Ninja, who had survived the fight and was sure to sound the alarm, but a quick look that Skylor shot her made it clear she shouldn't mention that.

Chen missed the look, too busy looking Penny up and down to notice. He then gave a nonchalant shrug. "Very well, Skylor. You've always wanted a pet. You can keep her in your room if you like… provided Borgy gives us what we want," he said glancing at Borg pointedly.

Penny followed his gaze and saw her father looking almost physically ill at the thought of harm coming to her, bowed his head and nodded. "I- v-very well, Chen… I'll finish it," he said, his expression defeated.

"SPLENDID!" cheered Chen, all too happy to hear that. He then glanced at Skylor. "Then take your little pet, and off you go, Skylor," he said, giving her a dismissive wave.

Skylor, still expressionless, nodded and began leading Penny out of the room.

"Oh, wait one moment," Chen called after her.

Penny briefly caught a glimpse of Skylor's expression turn to one of fear before it vanished, and she turned back around. "Yes, Father?" she asked.

"Have you discovered the proper way to use Green, yet?" Chen asked, looking at her expectantly.

"I believe so," Skylor replied. "When I questioned the Ninja, they mentioned that the Green Ninja was not able to use the full power of Green until he unlocked his True Potential. Perhaps if I found my own-"

Before Skylor could finish that sentence, Chen stormed over to her and smacked her across the face so hard she collapsed to the ground.

Despite everything, Penny let out a cry of dismay at the sight of Skylor getting hurt, and crouched down next to her, but unable to do anything more with her hands tied.

"You absolutely stupid girl!" Chen snarled down at her as Skylor stared back up at him, her blank expression gone, and the fear clear on her face. "True Potential? That drivel is the last thing you need! That's _not_ how you do it! Find another way, or you lose your new pet!"

Skylor was clearly trying to smooth her face back into the blank mask, but not really managing to do it as she cupped her cheek and dutifully replied, "Yes, Father."

"Now get out of my sight!" Chen seethed.

Skylor quickly got back to her feet and led Penny out of the room as fast as she could without running.

Penny's head was now swimming even more with this new information. She opened her mouth to speak, but Skylor hissed a quick, "Not here."

Thus Penny was left to her thoughts in silence as Skylor took her through the building and down a set of stairs.

Finally, they came to a door in what might have been the basement of the house. There was a barred window set into it, making it clear the room was a cell.

"I thought you were taking me to your room," Penny managed to ask as Skylor reached to open the door.

Skylor sighed as she pulled out a key to unlock it. "This _is_ my room," she said in a quiet voice.

Penny was stunned speechless at that.

Skylor opened the door, revealing what was clearly meant to be a prison cell attempting to disguise itself as a bedroom. The canopy bed looked soft enough, a carpet thrown over the stone floor for some warmth, and there were posters of various bands and movies doting the stone walls made a valiant attempt at comfort, but one look at the bars on the high windows and lock on the door made it the entire place feel cold and oppressive.

Skylor untied Penny's wrists and refused to look at her as she took the whole place in. "I… tried to run away when I was little," she admitted slowly. "Not that I got far, this is an island after all. Still, Father moved my room here as a punishment."

Penny looked over at Skylor, horrified.

Seeming to think Penny's horror was about their situation, Skylor's face crumbled. "I am so, so sorry, Penny! Pixal!" she corrected herself. "I swear I didn't know about Borg! I never wanted this to happen!"

"What… What were you attempting to instigate, then?" Pixal asked, dropping her hologram and wanting to confront Skylor with her true face in hopes Skylor would do the same. "Why were you there?"

Skylor's expression turned to one of guilt. "My father sent me to spy on the Ninja Force," she admitted. "I was supposed to… monitor them and try to keep them from discovering Father's plans, as well as get close enough to absorb their powers."

"Absorb their powers?" Pixal asked. "Is that how you used fire and water against the Fuchsia Ninja?"

Skylor gave a rueful smile. "Yeah," she said, cupping her hands to allow a small flame to appear in them. "I'm an Elemental Master like the Ninja Force. Power of Amber, I can duplicate their powers."

Though not Green, it seemed, if that previous display was anything to go by, but Pixal had more important things to ask. "Why do this?" she asked. "Nya is our friend, and Kai cares for you deeply. What do you plan to do if they find out? Will… will you hurt them?"

"NO!" Skylor shouted urgently, then glanced at the door to make sure no guards had heard them. "No," she said in a quieter voice. "I _don't _want to hurt them. I'm trying to _save_ them!"

Pixal felt a small bit of hope enter her circuits. "Save them?" she asked.

Skylor again glanced out to make sure they weren't being overheard, before whispering to Pixal. "If they try to fight my father, they will die," she said in a voice that made it clear she believed that to her very core. "But if I can stop them first, I can protect them."

Pixal stared at her, not able to compute that logic. "Would it not be better to stop Chen?" she asked. "Then they will not be in danger."

But Skylor shook her head. "We _can't_," she insisted, reaching up to cup her now bruising cheek. "My father _always_ gets what he wants. There is. No. Stopping him! All you can do is try to let him win in the best way possible. A way that hurts the fewest people."

"Skylor," said Pixal softly, her expression falling. "Even when he's winning, he's hurting you. He's clearly _been_ hurting you for a long time. We could stop him if we worked together. You wouldn't have to be afraid of him anymore."

But Skylor looked terrified at the very thought of going against him and shook her head vehemently. "We _can't!"_ she insisted.

At that moment, Skylor's phone vibrated, and she glanced down to see the text message. "Sorry, I have to go," she said reluctantly. "Clouse wants me in the lab." She then glanced up at Penny and tried to put on a brave smile. "I'll do my best to keep your father safe," she promised. "They need him, so they won't hurt him. Just stay here, I'll be back soon, and _don't_ let anyone see you as an android, okay."

Skylor then hurried out the door, locking it behind her, and leaving Pixal to watch her go through the bars on the door.

Well, she had succeeded in seeing Skylor's true face, and it was one of a battered girl even more caged then Pixal currently was while locked in by bars and stone

Once she was certain Skylor was out of earshot, Pixal ducked behind her bed so she could not be seen through the door, and reached into her pocket to pull out an earpiece.

Plugging it into her ear, Pixal turned it on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeesh, things are not going well for these Ninja, but at least they're finally getting the full story. Penny now knows why Skylor did what she did too, and while she doesn't agree with it, she understands and pities Skylor a great deal. Fortunately, Zane gave her just the tool to get out of this mess. Skylor, meanwhile, is going to be having a hard time and is convinced all her friends are going to hate her now. She doesn't blame them, but she wishes it wasn't the case.
> 
> A massive thanks to Kay Hau who was a big help in beta reading and planning all this. She helped fix some awkward sentences in this chapter, and I appreciate the help.
> 
> Next Time: The Show Ninja get some unexpected help, and Jay finally gets the answers he wanted from Nya... he's not happy about it.


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Show Ninja get some unexpected help, and Jay finally gets the answers he wanted from Nya... he's not happy about it.

_Show Ninjago_

The Ninja and the Serpentine could only stare at each other in a standoff. Skales looking tense and prepared to fight for what was obviously his family if it came to that, and the Ninja blinking in surprise having overheard Lloyd's whisper and recognizing the kid themselves.

They hadn't realized Skales having a family had been something both versions shared.

The standoff was broken when the Skales Junior (Lloyd mentally decided to just call him Junior to tell them apart) spoke up again, "Who are they, Daddy?"

"They were jussst leaving," said Skales pointedly, glowering at the Ninja.

"He is correct," said Pixal, not being aware of their history and knowing they were on a tight schedule. "The others' distraction of the Nindroids will start in t-minus ten minutes. We must reach Borg Tower before it commences if we wish to free the city."

The Ninja nodded slowly and began walking away in the direction Pixal had indicated.

"Oh dear, don't go that way," came a voice behind them, and they looked back to see Selma reaching out to stop them.

"Why not?" asked Echo.

"It will take far too long if you only have ten minutesss," said Selma. She then glanced at Skales and said, "Right dear?"

Skales scowled, no doubt not liking the delay in them leaving, but admitted. "Yesss, that way isssn't the shortessst you could take."

Pixal frowned. "My internal maps indicate that this is the correct route," she said.

"The easiessst perhaps, but not the shortessst," said Skales.

"You know a shortcut?" asked Kai dubiously.

Skales crossed his arms and glared. "Maybe I do," he said.

"Then would you please tell us of it?" asked Zane, trying to be polite, but this was his father on the line. "We are in a hurry."

Skales scowled, and didn't look inclined to help them.

"Show them, dear," said Selma, taking them all by surprise.

"SSSelma?" asked Skales.

"They are trying to sssave the city above," Selma said. "If they fail, how long will it take for thossse terrible machinesss to come down here as well?" She then smiled. "Besidesss, you had been hoping to turn over a new leaf with the humansss. This isss your chance."

The Ninja glanced at Skales, who looked embarrassed over that last part. "Yesss, well, I suppossse I could show them the way," he muttered reluctantly.

Junior brightened next to his mother. "Really, Daddy? That's ssso cool! You'll be like a hero!"

That perked Skales up, and he said, "Of course, Skalesss Junior. As I sssaid. It'sss time for a new change."

"Are you going to help the ressst of the humansss too, Daddy?" asked Junior innocently.

"Oh, um," said Skales, looking like he was trying to find a way to say no without losing his new hero status.

"That sssounds like a good idea," said Selma thoughtfully. "We could sssneak them out of the city through the sssewers while the fighting dissstracts them."

"But-" Skales started to say, but his wife and son were looking at him with such proud and expectant expressions, he couldn't find it in him to say no. With a put upon sigh, he said, "Oh, very well. Pleassse inform the generalsss. Come on, Ninja, the shortcut is thisss way."

The Ninja exchanged glances. "Are we really going to trust this guy?" Kai asked skeptically. "I mean, it's _Skales!"_

"I think we can," Lloyd muttered, still looking at Junior and remembering how King Skales was willing to put aside his own grudge with Lord Garmadon for his counterpart's sake. "He won't want to disappoint them."

"Besides, they're right. It's only a matter of time before the Nindroids come down here too. And given how things ended between them, I highly doubt Pythor would do so with friendly intentions," added Zane. "If we handle the threat before that, then his people will be safe."

The rest of the group collectively shrugged, seeing their point, and moved to follow the Serpentine.

The trip was made in relative silence, with Skales leading them through tight tunnels that Pixal claimed were not on any of her maps.

"As far as we can tell, sssome of thessse tunnelsss have been here sssince before the city above wasss built," said Skales cooly in reply. "The sewersss connect to them, but they were not built by the humansss, therefore were not on their mapsss."

"Interesting," said Zane curiously. "I wonder if there is anywhere they lead."

"Who knowsss," said Skales with a careless shrug. "They go deep into the earth, but the lower ssssections are unssstable, and we do not venture there." He paused and glanced down one side tunnel that seemed to have a steep incline downwards and shuddered. "Not to mention, they give me a bad feeling."

The Ninja exchanged a glance but made no comment. Still, if there was something that disturbed even the underground dwelling Serpentine, it might be something they'd need to look into later.

Finally, Skales brought them to a stop under a ladder leading up to a manhole.

"Here'sss your ssstop," he said dryly, waving up at it. "Borg Tower. Now go be good little Ninja and deal with thesssse robotic pesssts."

Kai shot him a suspicious glance, before going up the ladder first and taking a peek. He then glanced back down at the rest and nodded. "Yeah, this is the place. Borg Tower is right across the street."

"And the distraction should be commencing in-" Pixal checked her internal clock. "Three… two… one."

On cue, a loud explosion rocked the city above, and there was the booming sound of Nindroids racing towards the source in any means they could, be it by mech, plane, or on foot.

Checking the coast was clear, Kai slowly climbed out of the sewer and reached down to help Lloyd climb out.

"Thanks, Skales, for all the help," said Lloyd as he climbed out Echo and Pixal close behind him.

Skales, clearly not expecting the thanks, only grumbled, "Perhapsss he can be that future version after all." It seemed he still thought Luh-Loyd was his time-traveling future self.

Zane started to climb the ladder, but paused halfway up and glanced over at Skales, who was already making his exit to rejoin his people.

"By the way, Skales," Zane said, his tone making it clear he had more to ask.

Skales rolled his eyes and glanced back at him. "Oh, what isss it?" he asked, feeling he was already doing more than enough for them.

"Something we were informed of recently has caught our attention… and our concern," said Zane. "Have you ever heard of someone called the Golden Master."

Skales went rigid, his terrified expression was more than answer enough.

Zane nodded seeing it and began climbing the ladder again. "We have no time to further discuss it, but my team and I would like to get in touch with you later to learn more about this threat. We very much wish for it to not become a reality." Reaching the top, Zane glanced back down one last time with an almost friendly grin. "Stay safe, Skales," he said, replacing the manhole cover, leaving Skales alone in the dark.

It took a full minute before Skales recovered from his shock, and processed that information. Once it finally sank in, he let out a bitter laugh that echoed through the sewer tunnels.

"Yearsss of war, imprisssonment, and battlesss and they're _finally_ ready to lisssten," he said dryly, remembering why the Serpentine War had started in the first place. "SSStupid humans."

* * *

At the edge of the city, the Ninja started their assault on the city off with a bang.

Literally!

Using with Jay using Kai's jet and Cole commandeering Zane's helicopter, the two of them flew into the city with guns blazing, Nya's Samurai X mech following close behind launching her own missiles, and the Bounty careening in after her with Garmadon at the helm and Misako and Wu dropping bombs and other unpleasant things onto the Nindroids down below.

Even so, it looked like the Nindroids had expected them to come and were ready for such an attack and came at them in droves.

"_Well, this is one heck of a welcoming committee!"_ called Cole over the radio.

Jay, who was weaving through the onslaught of fighters in the jet replied, "_No kidding! We're never going to make it through all this!"_

"We don't have to," Nya replied as she punched a flying car out of the air and cut off a wing of a plane with her sword as they came at her. "We just have to make it _look_ like we're trying to."

"_Yeah, but how long can we keep this up until they blast us out of the sky?"_ asked Jay.

It was quickly becoming clear that the answer to that was 'not long'.

Given that their distraction attempt was so similar to their attack the day before, the Nindroids's attacks were relentless. It was only with some skilled maneuvering sheer dumb luck that they were lasting this long under the onslaught. The Bounty especially was taking heavy fire, being both bigger and slower than the rest of their vehicles, but the adults were still standing strong.

Still, it was obvious that they were losing, and to commemorate that, it seemed Pythor couldn't resist coming out to gloat.

"I cannot believe you Ninja were dumb enough to try the sssame attack twice!" he called gleefully through a megaphone as he had Nindroids drive him out on a fancy-looking flying convertible. "You didn't even bother to requisssition new vehiclesss! Really, I expected better from you pesssky do-gooders! I'm actually disssappointed!"

"Disappoint this, Slimbucket!" Nya shouted as she launched a volley of missiles in Pythor's direction.

Pythor merely smirked, and with a wave of his hand, several Nindroids drove their planes between him and the projectiles, taking the hit for him. Even as they went crashing to the ground, even more Nindroids took their place, effectively walling the Anacondrai off from any assault.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," said Pythor, shaking his head with a mocking smirk. "SSSo unladylike! You can clearly sssee your attacksss do no good! Jussst give up like good little Ninja and maybe I'll ssspare this wretched city!"

That was definitely not an option, as Cole vocalized vehemently. "_NINJA NEVER QUIT!"_ he yelled, launching his own missiles at the Nindroids surrounding Pythor, knocking a few out of the sky, but none managed to hit the snake.

Pythor gave a careless shrug, clearly not surprised. "SSSuit yourself," he called through the megaphone, before sitting back to enjoy the show.

And just like that, the Nindroids' attacks doubled in ferocity, and it was all any of them could do to avoid being shot out of the air.

"_We can't take much more of this!"_ said Jay over the radio. "_But we haven't bought nearly enough time for the others!"_

"_We have to keep their attention," _Garmadon replied firmly, though it was clear from his tone he knew they wouldn't be able to last much longer.

"_Focus on your reason to fight," _Wu added sagely. "_Let your motivation guide you no matter the odds."_

"_Yeah, Jay,"_ said Cole encouragingly. "_Just picture these Nindroids are Nya's perfect match. Nothing will stop you from pounding them then."_

"_But they weren't around when Nya saw the guy! I know it's not them!"_ Jay wailed.

Hearing that, an idea began to hatch in Nya's mind. It was underhanded, and maybe a little cruel, but given Jay's rage these last few days…

Well, the Nindroids hadn't been around when she saw her perfect match, but there was someone else who had.

"Jay, I have a confession to make," she said.

"_You do?"_ asked Jay.

"_Is now really the time?"_ asked Garmadon, seeming to sense the oncoming teen drama.

"I, uh, might not get another chance," said Nya mentally preparing herself for what she was about to do. "The truth is, Jay, that day at Borg Tower, my perfect match…"

"_What? Who was it?"_ asked Jay, sounding frantic. Despite the situation, the question had been eating at him for days.

"... It was Pythor!" Nya finished.

For a moment there was dead silence over the radio and it was sheer luck none of them were shot out of the sky as all the vehicles practically stalled when they heard that.

"_Oh my," _said Misako softly, breaking the silence.

"_What?"_ asked Garmadon, sounding like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"_The?"_ added Sensei Wu, also bewildered.

"_HECK!?"_ Jay bellowed incredulously.

"Yeah," Nya lied through her teeth. "You can see how that messed me up, right? I was questioning _everything_ the moment I saw that. I was sooo glad to hear the machine was inaccurate, but still…"

"_Oh my,"_ said Misako again, sounding like she was trying not to laugh.

"_Seriously, Nya?"_ asked Cole.

"Sorry," Nya said apologetically. "I just- I had to get it off my chest. I'm so sorry, Jay."

There was silence over the radio for a long moment.

Then with an ear-splitting roar of rage, Jay propelled his jet at the Nindroid army so fast a sonic boom erupted from it, knocking several of them out of the sky as he made a beeline for Pythor.

The Anacondrai looked alarmed to see him break through his defenses in such a way, and then fearful as Jay began bearing down on him with missiles and lightning blazing. The Nindroid driving his ride barely was able to maneuver them out of the way from being blasted to a crisp.

Jay was still screaming incoherently as he curved the jet back around to take another shot, ripping through any Nindroid that dared try to get in his way.

Looking panicked, Pythor signaled for another swarm of Nindroids to come and protect him, blocking him from sight, but they were quickly dispatched by Jay too.

Still, by the time the Serpentine's flying convertible was visible again, Pythor was nowhere in sight.

The disappearance of his enemy only seemed to further insight Jay's rage, which he began focusing on the rest of the army's vehicles on the off chance Pythor had hidden in one of them.

The rest of the Ninja could only watch as Jay took on the entire army singlehanded.

And was winning.

"_Oh my,"_ Misako said for a third time, this time in awe.

"_The flames of rage and hatred burn hot,"_ Sensei Garmadon said solemnly. "_Devouring everything in their path."_

"_Indeed,"_ agreed Sensei Wu. "_Not a fuel that I would normally encourage, but I suppose I should be grateful for it this day."_

"_I do __**not**_ _want to be Pythor right now,"_ Cole agreed, sounding both tired and also sort of relieved, having been the one to contain Jay up to this point. "_That has been building up for days now, and Jay was set to pop. Couldn't have happened to a better jerk than Pythor, though."_

Nya winced but had to agree. "Yeah," she said as she watched Jay decimate Pythor's troops. "No jerk can compare."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late. I had a hectic morning. Anywho, I said in the Next Chapter Summary that Nya would give Jay answers... I never said that she'd give him the truth. So now Cole's in the clear, and Pythor has Jay's everlasting ire for all eternity. If anyone noticed from my Triple the Ninja, Triple the Fun fic that Nick Jay was especially angry at Pythor as they roasted him, this is why. Meanwhile, Skales was roped into helping the Ninja out because he can't say no to his family, and Selma and Junior are sweet.
> 
> A big thanks to Kay Hau for helping with this chapter. I think it might have been her idea to make Nya tell Jay that Pythor was her perfect match, and that was just too funny of an idea not to use.
> 
> Next Time: Penny makes contact with the Ninja Force, and Skylor is given devastating news.


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny makes contact with the Ninja Force, and Skylor is given devastating news.

_Movie Ninjago_

"Okay, so let me get this straight," said Jay after they'd heard everything from Prof. Julien. "Cyrus Borg, the inventor we've been looking for even before Garmadon stopped fighting us, built Penny, who's real name is Pixal, and they were both in hiding because Chen, who's an evil mob boss, had him build the Snake Mech but Borg ran when he found out Chen was evil, and now Chen captured him and Penny-er-Pixal again to finish the mech so it can use the power of all four Golden Weapons to destroy us all. Is that all?"

"Yes, that summarizes that quite nicely," said Prof. Julien.

Jay slumped over with a groan. "We're sooo hooped."

"And Skylor's working with him?" asked Nya, the shock of Morro's news having started to wear off, and anger beginning to take its place. She wasn't the only one looking betrayed. The rest of the team had varying stages of belief on their faces, but there was no denying the hurt all of them felt at Skylor's apparent betrayal.

Well, there was one who still steadfast didn't believe it. "We don't know that," Kai said. "This Chen guy's a mob boss, right? He's gotta be blackmailing her, or that Clouse guy is hurting her. You saw what happened at the beach. There's more to it than this."

"How can you be sure?" Nya snapped back. "How do we know it wasn't all an act?"

Kai floundered for a reason, but thankfully, Zane gave one for him. "Her skeletal structure," he said morosely. "As I said before after my health scans, her bones show signs of multiple breaks over many years. That is not something that can be faked."

Nya's mouth pinched, but before she could reply, a soft voice suddenly spoke up in all their ears.

"_Zane? Zane, come in! Can you hear me?"_ asked Penny-Pixal's soft tones over all of their earpieces.

Instantly, all of the Ninja Force's hands went up to their communicators, leaving Prof. Julien, Master Wu and Morro to blink at them in surprise.

"Penny, is that you?" asked Nya in surprise.

"Are you alright?" asked Zane worriedly.

"How are you talking to us?" asked Cole.

They all turned to look at the Earth Ninja, and he shrugged. "What? We have a secure line. She shouldn't be on it."

"_Yes, it's me. I'm unharmed. Zane gave me his communicator earpiece in case of an emergency,"_ Pixal replied. "_I do believe this qualifies."_

"I'll say," Lloyd agreed, despite Master Wu (who had been leaning over to listen in) giving the Nindroid the stink-eye for giving away secrets.

"So where are you?" asked Jay. "Did you get away from Skylor capturing you after she teamed up with the bad guys."

Kai winced at Jay's blunt statement.

However, it seemed Pixal disagreed. "_I do not believe Skylor is fully at fault."_

Kai perked up and looked hopeful. "Really?"

Nya, meanwhile, was clearly still hurt and suspicious. "How do you know?" she asked

Pixal was silent for a long moment. _"I am locked in a cell made of vengestone that has been furnished with a bed and posters, but almost no warmth and privacy is optional,"_ she said finally.

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Cole

_"It is Skylor's bedroom,"_ Pixal said bluntly. "_One she was apparently punished with for trying to run away in the past."_

The Ninja Force was silent as that sank in.

"_While we were wrong about who her father is, we were not wrong that she has been abused,"_ Pixal continued quietly.

"What do you mean who?" asked Jay. "It's not the creepy lab coat guy who works for Chen?"

Morro and Prof. Julien, who could only hear half the conversation, looked utterly lost as to what they were talking about.

"_No," _said Pixal. "_Her father is Chen himself, and she is utterly terrified of him. I __**saw**_ _him hit her because he was displeased with her."_

"If he is so cruel, why is she still fighting beside him?" asked Zane. "We could help her if she told us the truth."

"_When I asked, she believed that nothing can stop Chen,"_ said Pixal. "_And by doing as he says and gaining his favor, she can keep us safe from him._ _In some way, she believes she is protecting us."_

"But she's _not!"_ exclaimed Nya in frustration. "She's just making things harder for us."

Jay nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's some pretty messed up logic," he said. "She's protecting us by helping the guy who's trying to destroy us. How is that helping?"

"_I don't think even she fully knows,"_ Pixal admitted regretfully. "_But I'm afraid it's all she feels she has."_

Lloyd frowned, while their circumstances were different, he knew better than the rest how trapped your evil father's shadow could leave you. "Not for long," he said with determination, turning to face his teammates. "I have a plan."

* * *

Skylor strode through the halls to reach Clouse's mech garage. Under normal circumstances, it was the second most place she avoided like the plague when she could help it (the first being Clouse's laboratory) because going there usually meant more painful experiments on her powers by the scientist. But now, even if this was for another experiment, Borg was there. She had to make sure he was as safe as he could be. She owed Pixal that much.

Entering the room, she was relieved to see Borg looking frightened but unharmed as he worked diligently to weld new pieces onto the Snake Mech.

As she walked past him to reach Clouse and her father, Skylor whispered to the captive inventor. "She's safe. I promise."

While Skylor had no idea why he would trust her after everything that had happened, the words seemed to lift a great weight off Borg's shoulders and he gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you," he whispered back before she moved out of earshot.

Skylor didn't have time to ponder this exchange as she came to a stop before her father and had to struggle not to gape at what he had on the table before him.

There, shining in the lab's fluorescent lights, were four golden weapons Skylor had been sort of hoping were just a crazy legend.

She must not have been able to keep her shock off her face, as her father smirked at her. "Like them, Daughter?" he asked, picking up the Sword of Fire and cradling it near his face. "Such a lovely color, don't you think? Gold really brings out my eyes?"

"You _got_ them?" Skylor managed to choke out. "The Serpentine King gave them up so quickly?"

Chen barked a laugh. "Hah, no, the king didn't even get the chance to try. Our little spy, what was his name, Pie-Poor, decided to earn his keep by giving them as housewarming gifts." He paused and glanced at Clouse. "Where is that Anacondrai anyway?"

"I believe he decided to enjoy the hot tub," said Clouse dryly. "Said he wanted to soak off his troubles after the scuffle at the beach."

Skylor looked confused. "Scuffle at the beach?" she questioned.

The smirk on her father's face sent chills down her spine. "Yes," he said in mock sympathy. "Sad to say, Daughter, but you'd best figure out Green quickly. You're now the last to ever use it."

Skylor's stomach dropped, and she fought tooth and nail to keep it from showing on her face. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I _mean_," Chen said sarcastically as if she should have inferred this already, "that the Green Ninja is dead."

The feeling of dread inside her spread into an all-encompassing numbness. Faintly, as if from far away, Skylor heard herself choke out, "_Dead?"_

Chen laughed as if reliving a funny memory. "Dead," he confirmed. "The pathetic whelp took the prince and his brother and tried to escape, only to get eaten by a Leviathan right off the docks. You should have seen it."

Distantly, she heard her father and Clouse discussing how odd it was for a Leviathan to come to these waters, but she just didn't comprehend it. Skylor could only stand there, her face blank while on the inside she felt horrified. No, no, no, Lloyd couldn't be dead! Not Lloyd! And his little brother! He was just a kid! A cute little kid with his whole life ahead of him! And while she'd never met the Serpentine Prince, she felt the loss just the same.

And now they were gone!

"Ah well," said Chen. "One less brat out of the way. Pity we couldn't get more information on Green out of him. He was as useless as Skylor."

"Fortunate you don't absolutely need either any more," Clouse agreed off hand.

That snapped Skylor out of her daze with a jolt. "What?" she asked.

Chen gave her that look that always made it clear what he thought of her intelligence. "Really, Daughter," he said, rolling his eyes. "Did you really I'd need your powers quite as much now that I'll have my own." He held up the sword again, and Skylor saw flames dance across the blade.

Skylor could only stare at him, fairly certain she had never felt this much despair at once in her entire life.

"The only further use you'll have," Chen continued in a nonchalant tone, "is if I either need the power of water or…" He shot her a fierce glare. "You figure out how to properly use Green to make me even stronger. WITHOUT any of that True Potential rubbish. Understood?"

Skylor nodded her head numbly.

Chen's face then shifted into one far more cheerful. "Excellent. Glad we understand each other. That is all." With that, he waved his hand dismissively, and Skylor slowly turned and walked out of the room.

She barely made it into a broom closet before collapsing to her knees in sobs.

This was all going wrong! Pixal probably hated her now, and Nya and Kai were sure to follow soon as the Fuchsia Ninja told them what she'd done. Lloyd was supposed to be safely imprisoned here, locked away from the fighting, but instead, he and two little kids were _dead!_ _DEAD! _And now her father had the Golden Weapons. The last key he needed to finish his plan and would be unstoppable, and with her value to her father so greatly diminished, there may be no way for her to protect the rest of her friends from his wrath. Even if they hated her for it, she had wanted them alive to do so, but now…

What was she going to do now?

* * *

Back in the lab, Clouse watched her go, before turning to his boss. "Sir, if I may, why do you believe her theory of True Potential is false? The idea seems to have merit."

Master Chen fixed Clouse with a look. "Now I know you're not stupid, Clouse," he said patronizingly. "Acting as though you are is not what I pay you for."

Clouse's eyebrow twitched at his tone. "Sir?" he said. "Would it not be best she master the power as soon as she can? If only for the satisfaction of decimating the enemy?"

Seeing Clouse wasn't getting it, Chen threw up his hands in disgust. "Really, Clouse? Do you even know what True Potential is?"

"The self-discovery of what is holding one back from achieving their greatest feats," Clouse parroted as if he were reading it out of a textbook. "Hence the name, True Potential."

"Exactly," said Chen with a roll of his eyes. "And _what,_ do you think, is holding Skylor back from being the strongest she can be?"

The answer was actually quite obvious the moment Clouse thought about it. "Oh," he said. "That would be you, sir."

"Bing~o~!" said Chen in a sarcastic sing-song voice. "Her fear of me is the only thing holding her back. If she overcomes that, we'll never be able to control her _again!_ We just got the power of Green _out_ of the Ninja Force's hands. If she were to go and give it back to them we might actually _lose!"_

"I see," said Clouse with a nod. "Better she is slow on the uptake then, or even never fully learn Green at all. It's only an advantage if it's not used against you."

"Precisely," said Chen. He then looked down at his new toys and grinned. "Now which one should I play with first, Clouse? The nunchucks or the scythe?"

Clouse gave a tired sigh, and could only hope his lab survived whatever Chen would do next.

Neither man noticed as their captive inventor slowly took his hand off a button on his wheelchair and begin welding pieces in place once again. Even if they had, they'd have no way to know that particular button was one Borg had added to the chair himself, used to record notes and reminders for his inventions.

Nor would they realize that Borg's work had been utterly silent throughout their conversation, catching everything they said on tape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, Skylor is not having a good time at all. It's just one bad thing after another for her right now. We all know the Lloyds and SJ are safe, but she has no idea and thinks they're dead. Pixal, at least, has some hope, being able to contact the Ninja Force. Thanks to that, they're finally fully up to speed on what's going on, and can plan accordingly to set things right. Of course, only time will tell if Lloyd's plan will solve this.
> 
> A big thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading this chapter. Skylor's internal monologue of regrets at the end of her portion was her idea, and she was a big help in editing this chapter.
> 
> Next Time: The Ninja Force begins their plan to save the hostages, but it quickly becomes clear they may be too late.


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ninja Force begins their plan to save the hostages, but it quickly becomes clear they may be too late.

_Movie Ninjago_

Chen was dancing in place in excitement as Borg put in the final piece of his mech. "Well?" he asked eagerly, but with a note in his voice that there'd be pain if answered wrong. "Is it done? Is it finished?"

Borg flinched but nodded. "Y-Yes, sir," he said. "The Golden Master Mech has been completed per your specifications. Now all that is left is to, er, place the weapons into their proper positions, and see if Clouse's calculations about their power output were correct."

Clouse sent him an absolutely murderous look, and Borg winced again as he realized too late he'd inadvertently thrown the scientist under the bus should the mech fail, but Chen didn't seem to notice or care.

"Eeehehe, this is so exciting!" he practically giggled as he skipped over to the table with the Golden Weapons and ordered four of his men to carefully carry them all to the mech and placed them inside the indents made especially for them.

As each one was slotted in, they started to glow, and as the last weapon found its place the entire mech shuddered, making everyone take a step back.

The mech began to shift its shape. Until that moment the Snake Mech had been in low power mode, but now with the Golden Weapons giving it all the power it could ask for, it was able to rise up to its full height. Sections of the head split apart with a whirr of gears and pistons until instead of one large, blade-filled head, there were four, each with eyes glowing with the power of the weapons' elements.

The Golden Master Mech was complete.

Chen squealed in delight at the sight of it. "It's more beautiful than I ever imagined!" wiping a tear from his eye.

He then rounded on his assembled men, and shouted, "PREPARE MY WARDROBE! I'm taking over the world in _style!"_

"What style?" Clouse muttered under his breath too low to be overheard under the din of Chen's other goons scrambling to follow orders. He knew full well what gaudy monstrosity Chen was demanding.

Pythor, who had been watching the proceedings, slithered forward. "Master Chen, if you please," he said in his most oily polite voice.

"Oh, what is it?" asked Chen impatiently.

"Now that your weapon is complete, and you are on the cusp of becoming the Golden Master as legend foretold, might I suggest you make it official," said Pythor.

Chen looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"After all, who better to declare yourself the Golden Master too, than to the very people who would fear you the most," Pythor continued.

"The Serpentine?" asked Chen, in disbelief. "You want me to attack your own people?"

Pythor shrugged. "As I said, after this they'd hardly call themselves my people anymore. The miserable fools could never see my greatness and tenacity. I want them to rue the day they ever thought of making someone as cunning as me a simple gofer."

Chen yawned as Pythor finished his passionate revenge pitch.

"Yes, yes, they looked down on you, and you want them to glorify you or perish," said Chen in a disinterested tone. "I'm missing the part where I'm supposed to care!"

Pythor grimaced, but quickly switched gears. "Well, by my observation, Oruboros is currently housing every person you hate within its walls… Including Lady IronDragon~" he said in his most tempting voice.

At the mention of that, Chen's expression lit up. "Pythor," he said with a sinister grin. "Have I ever told you I love the way you think."

* * *

Lloyd's plan was fairly simple in writing.

With them being able to trace Pixal's earpiece directly to her location, they now knew exactly where Chen's island was. Using Zane's falcon as a scout, they'd sneak over there on one of Garmadon's larger submarines so they'd have enough space to carry back all the hostages, try to steal the weapons back under their noses, and take the bad guys all by surprise.

Unfortunately, the entire plan went straight out the window when they caught sight of a giant purple and gold monstrosity flying in the distance.

"That can only be Chen's mech," said Nya grimly.

"They finished it already?" asked Jay worriedly.

"Looks like it," said Cole.

Zane's eyes glowed as he made calculations based on the mech's direction and speed. "By my calculations, it appears he is on a direct path for Ouroboros and will reach there in less than two hours."

"He's going to fulfill the prophecy," said Lloyd. "He wants his first act in that thing to be to terrify the Serpentine into declaring him the real Golden Master."

Kai was watching Chen's mech with a conflicted expression. "Okay, so I know we've gotta stop that thing before it attacks innocent people and Serpentine, but what about Sky-er-the hostages on his island?"

"Kai's right," agreed Nya. "Even if we fight that thing now, Chen could still call any goons left at his base and threaten his captives if things go south for him."

Lloyd frowned as he rethought his plan. "We'll have to split up," he finally decided. "Half of us go to save the hostages while Chen's away and can't protect his base. The rest of us will go back to Ouroboros and help the Serpentine fend him off until everyone is safe." He then glanced over at his collected team, and added, "I don't think I need to guess who wants to stage the jailbreak."

Unsurprisingly, Zane, Nya, and Kai all raised their hands with determined expressions.

Nodding, Lloyd said, "Then you guys take the sub, and Jay, Cole, and I will go back to the Serpentine city. Meet us there as fast as you can once the hostages are free."

"And be careful," added Jay, looking worriedly at Nya.

"Always are," said Nya with a determined grin.

Cole let out a snort. "We all know that's a lie."

They all cracked a grin at their banter, and then they put their hands together in a circle and shouted, "Ninja _GO!"_ before splitting off into their groups and rushing to where they were needed most.

There were a lot of people they needed to save.

* * *

Pixal under her Penny hologram was sitting on Skylor's bed clutching the earpiece in her hands and waiting for either the rescue she knew was to come, or another call on the piece to give more necessary information.

The sound of a key rattling in the lock quickly had her hiding the earpiece back into her pocket and looking up to see who was coming in.

She was relieved to see Skylor return looking no more physically harmed than she had when she'd left, though the bruise on her face was turning an ugly color already. It seemed she hadn't iced it properly while she was out.

Emotionally harmed, however, was a different story. Skylor looked _awful._ Her face was miserable, there were clear tear tracks down her cheeks, and her eyes were puffy. All signs she had recently been crying.

"Are you alright," Pixal said, standing up and hurrying over to her.

Skylor winced and had an expression Pixal recognized as one where she had very bad news that she was dreading to share.

"Lloyd is-" she said slowly. "Lloyd is dead. So is his little brother and the Prince of the Serpentine." Even as she said that the tears began falling anew.

Pixal had to take a physical step back at the news. Lloyd? _Dead?_ He couldn't be! She had distinctly heard him on the earpiece when she was talking to the Ninja Force only minutes ago. If something had changed in that amount of time, surely the other Ninja would have notified her by now.

Still, Skylor's mourning was far too all-encompassing to not be genuine.

Seeing Pixal's shocked expression, Skylor slowly continued. "My dad captured them before they got us… Lloyd took the kids and tried to escape… They died at the docks…"

Pixal blinked, realizing the truth that Skylor did not. Lloyd must have somehow faked his demise in his escape (and if he had done so unscathed, then logically the children were likely safe as well), leading to this reaction in Skylor upon hearing the news. They had no idea he'd been successful in his efforts.

"Skylor…" Pixal said, reaching over to comfort her, but Skylor flinched away.

This left Pixal in a difficult position. Skylor was clearly wrought with guilt at this news, and telling her of Lloyd's survival would alleviate the pain. However, doing so would remove a new advantage the Ninja had over Chen. With Skylor's fear of her father, she may tell him the information, losing them that ground. Which should she choose?

Skylor made the choice for her when her hands clenched at her sides, and she wiped her tears away to look at Pixal with a determined expression. "I won't let that happen again," she vowed to her. "I promise you. I'll do whatever I can to make sure you and the others make it through this alive." Her expression fell again. "Even if you hate me for it."

Then she was still siding with Chen. Still believing capturing them was the only way to ensure their survival. It would be better to say nothing then, though Pixal wished it wasn't the case.

Having said her piece, Skylor turned and left the room again.

But as she was locking the door, Pixal spoke up. "I don't hate you, Skylor," she said softly.

Skylor froze at those words and sucked in a shaky breath.

Then she finished locking the cage and walked away.

Once Pixal was sure she was gone, she quickly pulled out the earpiece again and called the Ninja Force.

While she was certain her theory was correct, a part of her still wanted to be sure.

Both for her sake, and for Skylor's.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeesh, Pythor is pretty cold, wanting the destruction of his own people over something so petty. Until that point, Chen had thought Pythor wanted to take over at least in part out of love for his people, but nope, he just wanted power when before he had none. Meanwhile, the Ninja Force has to split up to both protect the Serpentine and save the hostages, so they're spread a bit thin. There was never any doubt which half of the team was going to save them, however. And while they're coming to the rescue, Skylor's not having a good time right now. Pixal really wanted to tell her, but given Skylor's current mental state and misguided loyalty to Chen, she thought it would be better not to out of fear she'd report the information to him (plus, then she'd have to admit to having the earpiece and spoiling the coming rescue). Given that until now, Chen's always been ten steps ahead of the Ninja, the fact they have any advantage over him that he doesn't know is one to hold onto.
> 
> Big thanks to Kay Hau for Beta reading and contributing ideas for this chapter.
> 
> Next Time: The Rescue Team in the show world makes their way through Borg Tower, only to find they've forgotten something pretty important.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rescue Team in the show world makes their way through Borg Tower, only to find they've forgotten something pretty important.

_Show Ninjago_

With a majority the Nindroids distracted and Pixal knowing the building inside and out, sneaking into Borg Industries was a piece of cake.

Finding two captive scientists within the huge building… less so.

"Why does Borg have to have this place be so _big!" _Kai complained as they ducked to avoid one of the sparse Nindroid patrols.

Pixal opened her mouth to undoubtedly give the exact reasons why the building was as large as it was, but Kai quickly said "Rhetorical question," he said, not wanting the full technical list.

"Where would Pythor even keep them?" asked Echo.

Pixal closed her mouth and looked thoughtful. "I am unsure," she admitted. "There is no place in the tower that would function like a prison. They could be anywhere."

"Not anywhere," said Zane trying to be strategic. "Pythor wouldn't keep them someplace where they could easily get away, so perhaps not the lower floors."

"Or a room with access to a fire escape or near to the elevator," said Pixal logically, catching on to how he was thinking.

"Maybe the room where you showed us all the inventions," suggested Echo. "There's a lot of places to hide stuff there, and Nya told me she got lost trying to get out."

"No, that would be highly unlikely. There are too many tools in there they could use to escape," said Pixal.

"Good guess, little brother," added Zane, giving Echo a proud look.

Lloyd, who had been listening to all this, spoke up, "You're forgetting something," he said. "Pythor's vicious, but he can be pretty dang lazy when he can get away with it. If Borg was in his office when Pixal was here last, I doubt he'd do much to move him unless he got a Nindroid to carry him out."

They all blinked down at their smallest member in surprise.

Seeing this, Lloyd huffed. "I _was_ kidnapped by him before, remember. Right when he got to be King of the Serpentine. I watched him boss around all the other Serpentine to do every little thing for him. He was worse than _me,_ and I made them steal candy and build me a treehouse."

Kai grimaced at the mention of that particular event. "Forgot you probably know that snake better of all of us," he admitted, before glancing at Zane and Pixal. "What do you think? Sound right?"

"It does make the most logical sense," agreed Pixal with a nod. "And if they are not there, we can work our way down."

"Then let's go get our dad," said Echo eagerly.

Zane nodded in agreement. "Yes, let's go."

After a hushed debate about if it was stealthier to take the stairs or the elevator, they ended up doing a mix of both to keep hidden as they made their way to the top, using Pixal's knowledge of every inch of the building to their full advantage to allow them to avoid being seen.

When they finally reached there, it became clear Lloyd had been right. Bound, gagged, and shoved into a corner were Dr. Julien and Dr. Borg.

At the sight of them, the three robotic members of their group tried to hurry forward to reach them, but the sight of their eyes widening and frantically shaking their heads had them skidding to a stop.

The reason why faded into existence before them with a triumphant sneer. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice?" Pythor asked smugly.

All around them, the room filled with Nindroids as they dropped their cloaking holograms and pointed their weapons at the Ninja and Pixal, save for a couple standing guard over the doctors. At the sight of them, Kai did his best to hide Lloyd behind him, and the others glared at the snake.

"I'll admit," Pythor continued, looking ready give a full villain monologue, "I did think you were with the ressst of your little friendsss for another pitiful attack-"

"Pitiful, _right_," Lloyd interrupted snidely, pointing out the still broken window to where Jay was single-handedly decimating Pythor's army.

Pythor scowled at the reminder and shot a dirty look at Jay's jet before continuing. "Yes, it seems your little friend has found his second wind," he grumbled, then shrugged. "No matter, once he and the rest of the Ninja see we have you, they'll surrender soon enough."

"We're not surrendering to you!" Echo exclaimed, looking raring to go for a second round.

Pythor laughed and gestured to the sheer number of Nindroids surrounding them. "And you expect to win?" he asked in disbelief. "I have an army!"

"We have a Lloyd," Kai snapped back, letting Lloyd out from behind him.

Lloyd sent Pythor a wicked grin as he lit his hands up with crackling green energy.

At once the all Nindroids in the room dropped their weapons and began twitching and sparking as the energy began overloading their systems.

However, it quickly became clear they'd forgotten something very important.

Pixal wasn't immune to the energy either!

"Lloyd _stop!"_ shouted Zane the second he saw the girl he liked convulsing as the energy disagreed with her circuits.

Alarmed, Lloyd did so.

Even without the energy present, the Nindroids needed a moment to recover, something Echo gleefully took advantage of as he used his new mech to send as many as he could flying as he rushed over towards the prisoners. Zane rushed to Pixal's side but also made quick with his ice powers to disable several Nindroids as well, and by the door, Kai and Lloyd sent fireballs at any Nindroids near them to keep them at bay.

Pythor, who had been shocked at the sight of his new army nearly biting it right in front of him, moved to stop him, but Zane was quick to send another ice blast at him that left the Anacondrai frozen in place, but from the loud cracking of the ice, it wouldn't last long.

Echo, having beaten a path through the Nindroids, grabbed both inventors and hightailed it towards the door. Zane grabbed Pixal to do the same, and Kai led the way out of the room with Lloyd under his arm.

"What are you doing?" Pixal shouted from Zane's arms as they ran. "We need to shut down the Nindroids!"

"But then you will be harmed too!" Zane replied.

"I know!" said Pixal.

That stunned all of them. Fortunately, they managed to dive into an elevator and mash the down button, shutting the doors on the chasing Nindroids.

Taking the moment to breathe, Kai voiced the question they were all thinking. "If you knew, why did you come?" he asked. "You could have stayed out of range!"

"To stop this threat, it is worth it!" Pixal replied. "We could not know Skales would help us find the correct path through the sewer system, and you would not have been able to navigate the tower without me. My ability to direct you was vital to the mission."

"You could have said it over the radio?" said Echo from where he was working to untie Dr. Julien.

"Or draw us a map," added Lloyd as he did the same for Borg.

"He's my _father!"_ exclaimed Pixal, her distress palpable. "I had to know he was safe! It would be worth it!"

From where he was being freed by Lloyd, Borg managed to get the gag off his mouth. "Pixal," he said, his voice making it clear he was both relieved to see her and dismayed she'd throw her life away for him. "Did I not make it clear to you that you are not replaceable."

Pixal quieted at that and looked away.

"He is right," agreed Zane, taking her hand so that she would look at him. "You may have been vital to this mission, but you are also vital to me. I do not wish to see you harmed."

Pixal's face fell and she placed her hand over top of Zane's. "I find you are vital to me too," she said. "Pythor will not give us enough time to allow me to get out of range. If we wish for you to escape here alive you must do so."

"Not necessarily," spoke up Dr. Julien as Echo finished with his bindings and he stood up. "If what I saw a moment ago serves me right, I would hazard a guess that the reason you were affected and my son-" he paused a glanced at Echo, then quickly amended, "son_s_ were not is because of the difference in their power sources."

"I would surmise the same," agreed Borg, who without a wheelchair would have to be carried by Echo until they found a substitute. "What I saw of your designs of them led me to see Echo's clockwork is not affected by the energy, and Zane's source was one of a kind."

Dr. Julien looked at him blankly. "When did you see my designs?" he asked in confusion.

"You showed them to him before, Father," Zane replied, trying to keep from being impatient. "Are you saying you know how to keep Pixal from being affected by Lloyd's energy powers?"

Dr. Julien blinked but nodded. "Oh, right, yes," he said, getting back on topic. "I think I know a way to keep her functioning while you deal with those other metal hooligans, at least temporarily."

"Temporary is all we need, Doc," said Kai.

"Then I can blast them!" agreed Lloyd with an eager grin.

At that moment, the elevator shuddered and stopped its descent in between two floors.

Zane and Kai worked together to pry the doors open, and they all crawled out onto the nearest floor, helping Lloyd, Dr. Julien, and Dr. Borg out first, and the two holding the doors open climbing out last.

And not a moment too soon, as not a second after Kai was clear, the elevator let out a terrible groan, and went plunging down the shaft, giving them a glimpse of the cut elevator cable trailing behind it as it fell.

It seemed Pythor and the Nindroids didn't want them to get away that easily.

Seeing they were on the floor with the invention room, Borg gestured for them to head inside. "Quickly. Before they find us again. I have some tools in here, and they should suffice for what we need.

Echo carried him inside, and the others hurried after.

Hopefully, they could finish this before they were found again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They forgot Pixal would be affected by Lloyd's power. Grant it, there's been a lot going on, but still they totally forgot it or thought Pixal had some way to counter it for herself. Fortunately, they have two brilliant inventors with them, so if anyone can make Pixal immune it would be them. Still, Pythor's now aware of their plan and sure as heck isn't about to let them carry it out if he can help it.
> 
> Big thanks to Kay Hau for helping to beta read this chapter, and contributing ideas to the story. She's been a big help.
> 
> Next Time: The Rescue Team trio reaches Chen's island. Now they just need to get in the mansion undetected.


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rescue Team trio reaches Chen's island. Now they just need to get in the mansion undetected.

_Movie Ninjago_

A large shark submarine pulled as close to shore as it could in a small cove.

"Is this the place?" asked Nya from the driver's seat.

"The earpiece's signal leads us here," confirmed Zane.

Kai, who was looking longingly through the periscope at dry land, added, "I can see the raft Lloyd said he made for an escape if they couldn't use Chen's boats. This is definitely the place."

The other two gave a quick glance through the periscope and saw the little, vaguely dragon-shaped, Master-Built raft tied to a tree on the shore, ready to sail.

"Okay," said Nya shutting off the sub and opening the hatch. "Let's do this."

Kai was off the submarine and face-planting onto the sand a moment later. Happy to be on solid ground once again.

Nya and Zane were more cautious about exiting the sub, but the forest surrounding the cove was quiet.

"Penny's-" Nya started to say.

"Pixal," Zane interrupted her.

"Huh?" asked Nya, turning to look at the Nindroid in surprise.

"Her real name is Pixal, not Penny," said Zane, his eyes never leaving the direction their tracker was pointing to lead them to her. "There is no need to hide that anymore."

Nya cracked a smile. "I'll call her that when she tells me herself," she said. "I get the feeling it's something she's looking forward to." Back to business, Nya turned to observe their surroundings. "Anyway, her last call said that they thought Lloyd was dead, and they have no idea Penny can call us, so they must not think we know how to get here," she observed. "So their security will probably be pretty lax at the moment."

"Not to mention Chen's not here," Kai said, his voice muffled by his face still pressed into the sand. "So his men are probably more relaxed right now without their boss. Garmadon's generals do the same whenever he's not around."

Nya nodded. "Could be."

"However, it is important to keep in mind we are currently out of Lloyd's range of influence," Zane pointed out. "Without our True Potential, we will not be able to use our powers to their full extent, so avoiding conflict will lead to a more assured victory."

Nya hummed in agreement, that was a good point. "Right, the closer we can get undetected, the better chance we have to pull this off. Zane?"

Zane nodded and activated his falcon.

The mechanical bird, which looked almost exactly like a real falcon, took to the skies to scout ahead, everything it saw being relayed back to Zane.

"From the looks of things, most of the guards are centered around the mansion up the mountain," Zane said once his falcon had circled the island. "We shouldn't have much trouble reaching there, but will need more stealth past that point."

Kai pried himself off the ground and began marching towards the forest with determined strides. "Then let's get to it," he said.

Nya didn't bother to hide her smile. "Oh dear brother, the mansion is that way," she said, pointing in the opposite direction to where Kai was going.

Kai made an abrupt turn to go in the correct direction. "I knew that! I knew that!" he insisted.

Nya snickered as she and Zane followed after him, knowing he didn't actually know and had a really bad sense of direction.

But as they grew closer to the mansion, the smile slid off Nya's face knowing what they were going to face once they reached there… _Who_ they were going to face.

And she didn't know if she could forgive her…

* * *

Pythor was in paradise.

A near-perfect island paradise.

Lavish lodgings, good food, minions that wait on him hand and foot, and this luxurious rooftop hot tub he was now relishing in.

The only blemish on this place was that it wasn't his.

It was that brute, Chen's.

Pythor was, sadly, not the master of the house, but merely an honored guest. Thankfully, though, Chen was currently not even on the island and was off decimating their shared hated enemies, so the fact didn't bother him much.

Besides, having free run of the island gave plenty of opportunities to possibly arrange a, shall we say, change in ownership.

He could see it now, Chen returning to toast his own victory, only to drop dead from tainted wine. And planting the poison on some random mistreated minion would be child's play. Especially if he buttered up the rest of the minions beforehand so they'd be happy to follow him afterward. Clouse might be an issue, but who's to say he might not drop dead too under mysterious circumstances. Pythor had plenty of poison to go around.

Now, many might think it distasteful for Pythor to be musing about killing his host, but then Pythor was fully aware that Chen had every intention to backstab him the second Pythor had outlived his use as well. Really, Pythor was just taking the initiative for his own survival.

The Anacondrai was brought out of his thoughts when a casual glance at the view of the forest below had him catch a glimpse of the colors red, cyan, and white darting through the brush and drawing closer to the building.

Well now, this wouldn't do. He couldn't take this island over if the Ninja brats ruin it before he even gets the chance.

And with great reluctance, Pythor left the hot tub.

He'd give those brats interrupting his downtime a piece of his mind.

* * *

They were nearing the mansion when Zane's falcon suddenly let out a shriek and fell from the air.

"My friend!" cried Zane, hurrying to catch it before it reached the ground.

Examining it, he saw a small dent in its wing. Something easily fixed but would keep his falcon from flying properly until the dent was taken out.

"What did this to you my friend," Zane asked.

The falcon let out a soft "Skree!" and uploaded its memory of its fall to his internal systems.

Zane frowned and was instantly on guard.

"What? What is it?" asked Nya.

"My feathered friend's memory shows a stone thrown by an invisible assailant took him down," said Zane. "It seems a certain someone knows we're here."

Instantly, Nya and Kai were on their guard too, all too eager to fight this foe.

There was only one person on Chen's island who they knew for sure could go invisible.

"Show yourself, Pythor!" Kai hissed into thin air, loud enough to be heard around them, but quiet enough not to alert the guards.

The air shimmered, and a large Anacondrai slithered into view, his red eyes glinting in the forest's dim light. "Oh, it seems I've become quite popular," said Pythor. "That little brat knew who I was as well. How is it you all know my name when I've never had the pleasure of introducing myself to you before? Not even the guards ever bothered to learn it."

"Your reputation precedes you," said Zane with an uncharacteristic scowl. Not only has this treacherous snake kidnapped his friends, but now also harmed his falcon.

"Yeah, you're a well-known slimeball," added Nya snidely.

Pythor's eye-ridge twitched at their words. Then, with an expression of fierce irritation on his face, he vanished from sight.

The Ninja tensed at that, knowing he was about to attack without them able to see him and strained their senses to find where he would come from.

It was only from _years_ of anticipating surprise tackles from Nya that Kai was able to dodge out of the way as a needle-like projectile shot through the air and barely missed grazing his cheek and piercing a flower on a tree behind him.

"Watch out, he has darts," Kai warned his teammates.

"Poisoned darts, if I'm not mistaken," added Zane, watching the flower the needle had landed in begin to wither before their eyes.

"I guess now we know how he took down the Golden Weapons' guards," said Nya.

"Oh, you worked that out, did you," came Pythor's smug tone from out of nowhere. "I'm flattered you give me such consideration."

"It's really not all that complicated a strategy," said Zane. "Anyone could work it out."

Pythor let out another angry hiss and another dart flew out of left field at Zane.

The Nindroid dodged but realized too late that that wasn't the only dart Pythor had thrown, and a second one was flying directly at Nya.

"Watch out!" shouted Zane, and on instinct thrust his hand out to summon his powers to stop the dart, despite knowing without Lloyd there to boost him at best he could throw a snowball at it.

So imagine his utter surprise when an ice wall sprang up and trapped the dart in midair inside it.

Nya and Kai had to take a moment to blink in surprise as well, before turning to look at Zane.

They knew none of them should vocalize their shock over this development. Lloyd's ability to boost their powers and range of influence to do so was one of their most tightly kept secrets, and shouting questions about this would only give that valuable information away to Pythor.

Still, it was clear they were all wondering the same thing.

When had Zane gotten his True Potential?

Thinking back on it, the answer really was obvious.

"Oh, I see, from my talk with Zen," Zane said, feeling Pythor would get nothing from that statement.

The twins' eyes widened in understanding, knowing what he really meant. The moment he had accepted himself, mechanical parts and all had to have been the time his True Potential activated.

Whether he was aware of just how distracted they were or not, Pythor took advantage of it to throw another dart at Zane.

The dart bounced harmlessly off Zane's metallic body with a loud '_Ping!' _and drew them all back to the present. A good thing too, as it seems some of Chen's goons took notice of the ice wall, and shouts could be heard drawing closer.

They'd lost the element of surprise.

Realizing this, Zane quickly shot a ball of ice in the direction Pythor's last dart had come from and got a satisfying yelp in response. He then pulled up an ice wall between them and the Serpentine and approaching guards.

"I'll stay out here and hold them off," he said to the twins. "My body will not be hindered by Pythor's poisons and with my powers, I serve as our best chance at a distraction. This will make it easier for the two of you to complete the mission."

Nya's eyes narrowed, hating the idea of splitting up, but knowing it was their best course of action. "Right. We'll get the prisoners and come back you up."

Kai was attempting to summon his flames to see if he'd gotten his True Potential without noticing as well. He was disappointed to see only his usual small fireballs instead. At the moment, Zane was the only one with any real power.

Seeing this, Zane let his falcon hop onto Kai's shoulder. "Take my falcon with you," he said. "While he cannot currently fly, my father and I have added a new feature that may help you inside."

Kai glanced at the mechanical bird, wondering what kind of feature he could be talking about, but as the sounds of approaching guards grew closer, he knew he didn't have time to ask.

And so, leaving Zane to continue distracting their enemies, Kai and Nya took off through the trees to get into the mansion and complete their mission.

Zane, meanwhile, rose himself up onto a tall ice platform and looked down at the gathered guards and a sneering, frost-covered Pythor.

With a grin, he declared, "Do you want to build a snowman?" and blasted them with ice.

It was going to be a cold day on Chen's island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rescue has begun, and Zane has finally realized he has his True Potential. Couldn't have happened at a better time. Now both Pythor's are getting put on ice. However, while Zane's handling most of the guards and Pythor, the actual rescuing of the prisoners has landed on Kai and Nya's shoulders, on top of convincing Skylor to back down and deal with Clouse. They're going to have their hands full. Pythor, meanwhile, is already plotting to backstab his host. To be fair, Chen will totally backstab him eventually too, but still.
> 
> A big thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading and contributing ideas to this chapter. As always she was a big help.
> 
> Also, just a warning, the reason I've been able to consistently update this story is because I had rewritten several chapters in advance. However, I've been posting faster than I've been writing chapters, and once I get caught up I can't guarantee the biweekly schedule I've had. At the moment, I'm in the middle of writing chapter 41, which isn't far from now. I'll still post once the chapters are completed, but it might take a little longer. Sorry in advance.
> 
> Next Time: The Inventors work to make Pixal able to withstand Lloyd's energy powers, but Pythor's not giving up without a fight.


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Inventors work to make Pixal able to withstand Lloyd's energy powers, but Pythor's not giving up without a fight.

_Show Ninjago_

In the corner workshop section of the invention room (hoping the maze of machines would hold off their pursuers), Dr. Julien opened Zane's chest cavity, revealing a glowing blue circle inside.

"Now, keep in mind, this is a temporary measure, which we will fix once this crisis has passed," said Dr. Julien sternly. "It will greatly reduce your power output and thus hinder your body's capacity to move to its full capabilities, and will likely endanger you as a result."

"What?" asked Lloyd, looking confused. Next to him, Kai looked equally confused but was trying not to show it.

"What Dr. Julien is about to do will make it more draining for Zane to move, and thus more difficult for him to fight," Dr. Borg explained, looking fascinated.

Pixal frowned worriedly. "Is that not dangerous?" she asked. "It will inhibit your ability to fight Pythor. While Lloyd's power will stop the Nindroids, it will not stop him."

Kai grinned viciously and lit his hands on fire. "Oh, don't worry about Pythor. I've been looking forward to kicking his butt for a _long_ time."

"Me too," said Echo punching his mech's fists together. "I'll protect Big Brother this time."

"And the rest of our friends will arrive swiftly to provide us back up," added Zane reassuringly to Pixal. "It is worth it to keep you safe." Turning to his father, Zane said firmly, "Do it."

Taking a pair of tweezers, Dr. Julien carefully pinched the rim of Zane's power source and pulled half of it away. Handing it to Borg, the other scientist slotted the half-power source into a drive in Pixal's chest.

Pixal gasped and placed her hand over the slot where it had gone in. "It feels… I've never felt anything like this before."

"Now to test it," said Dr. Julien. He turned to Lloyd and frowned as he tried to remember his name. "Er, Luke, was it? If you will."

"It's Lloyd, and sure," said Lloyd, lighting up his hands with energy.

Around them, the electronics fizzled and sparked, but Zane, Echo, and Pixal remained unharmed.

Grinning, Lloyd let go of that energy ball and made a big show of rolling up his sleeves. "And now, for the main event!" he said, grandstanding for dramatic effect. "Here comes the big one!" He raised his hands into the air to summon a ball of energy large enough to fry the whole building.

But before he could even give off a spark, the door to the workshop burst open and knocked Echo off his feet causing him to land on top of Kai and Zane. They all then felt something breeze past them, and Lloyd was yanked into the air by the back of his gi and dragged out of the room with a startled yelp.

"LLOYD!" everyone shouted, and Kai and Zane quickly shoved Echo back to his feet and they raced after him.

They all froze at the sight before them when they caught up.

Lloyd was currently dangling by his hood out of an open window. Just who was holding him out there became clear a minute later when a Nindroid faded into view and glowered at them. His silent message was clear. They come any closer, and the Nindroid would drop him.

And they were _far_ too high up for Lloyd to do anything other than go splat on the pavement below.

The Ninja gritted their teeth but didn't move.

"Excellent, Cryptor," said a sneering voice as Pythor glided into the room to stand smugly at the Nindroid's side.

Zane jolted at the name, and glanced over at Echo, seeing his little brother glowering at the Nindroid with more malice than he'd ever seen before. And Zane couldn't blame him, remembering that Cryptor was the Nindroid that had ripped Echo apart. Echo may have first dibs for payback, but Zane was next in line.

"An easy victory over out of date machines still trying to be relevant," said Cryptor scathingly, sending looks of disgust at Zane and his brother.

Or perhaps Echo would be willing to allow him payback simultaneously with his own. Either way, this vain jerk was going down. No one talked about Zane's little brother that way!

Seeming to see the fury on Zane's face, Pythor held up a hand to stop him. "Ah-ah-ah," he taunted. "We wouldn't want our dear little Lloyd to take an unexpected plunge, now would we. Which he _will _do if he triesss using his powersss again," he added pointedly out the window.

Lloyd glowered back at him as best he could. It was very clear that if he tried to use his powers to shut down the Nindroids with Cryptor holding him like this would only lead to him falling. Deactivated Nindroids can't keep kids from plummeting to their deaths, after all.

"Now," said Pythor, clearly looking like he felt he had all the cards. "I don't know what you did to my army, but I want it fixed, or elssse I'll be forced to take the caussse of that little missshap out of the equation."

"Hurt him and I'll turn you into boots for my sister," said Kai furiously, brandishing his sword.

Out the window, Lloyd couldn't help but snort. "Yeah right! As if Nya would ever wear something that came from _him._"

"She has better taste than that," Echo added.

Even Pixal nodded in agreement. "His color pallet is quite tacky," she said.

Despite their situation, Zane had to hold in a laugh at that. However, when he glanced to the side to hide his laugh behind a cough, he spotted a shape in the distance outside the window.

Pythor's expression was instantly sour at the mention of his bleached scales. "SSSILENCE!" he roared. "You will do as I sssay or elssse. Fix my army, like you've apparently done for her!" he demanded to the two scientists, pointing at Pixal in disdain.

Zane grimaced at that, knowing how Pixal was now immune. He _really_ didn't want to share his heart with any of these evil Nindroids.

Behind Pythor the shape got bigger.

"And how do we know you won't just drop him when we do?" Kai demanded. "You better pull Lloyd in or else."

Cryptor sneered. "Nice try. The second I pull him up he has no reason not to use his powers. He's staying right there until it's done."

"Eat me, tin can!" Lloyd snapped.

"I'm not hungry," said Cryptor.

Behind them, the shape grew even bigger, and Zane's eyes widened as he realized what it was.

"ENOUGH!" shouted Pythor haughtily. "You _WILL_ do as I say or else!"

At that exact moment, Lloyd finally noticed the approaching shape, and he gasped.

Hearing the gasp, Cryptor turned just in time to get a vicious kick to the face as a figure launched himself through the window and snatched the boy from the Nindroid's grasp.

Everyone took a moment to gape at the sight of Sensei Garmadon now standing in the room with Lloyd cradled to him, and his eyes glaring murderously at their enemies. "Or else what?" he snapped.

And just like that, the tables turned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's one way to end a standoff. Sensei Garmadon to the rescue! Seriously, though, those Nindroids are making shutting them down a lot harder than it needs to be. Still, things are looking up, but you know Pythor's not giving up without a fight.
> 
> As mentioned in the previous note, I'm going back to updating only on Fridays. Sorry for that, but my writing has slowed so much that I feel it's necessary.
> 
> As always, a huge thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading and helping plan this chapter. She had fun going over this one.
> 
> Next Time: Kai and Nya make their way through Chen's mansion, but run into unexpected problems finding their targets.


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai and Nya make their way through Chen's mansion but run into unexpected problems finding their targets.

_Movie Ninjago_

Skylor had been walking through the mansion's halls in a miserable daze when suddenly the windows frosted over.

"What?" she asked aloud, and briefly wondered if she'd finally been able to activate the ice powers she'd absorbed from Zane. (Was this what she needed to feel to activate them? Poor Zane!)

That thought was quickly dashed a moment later when an announcement rang through the mansion.

"_It seems the Ninja Force have found us, and are outside at this very moment,"_ said Clouse's voice over the speakers. "_Get rid of them as quickly and quietly as possible. I'm in the middle of an experiment."_

All through the halls, Skylor heard the sounds of the guards rushing outside to engage in the fight going on out there.

The time had finally come. She had to actually fight her friends. She _had_ to if she wanted to save them.

Skylor clenched her fists.

Then slowly turned and walked towards one of the entrances to the dungeons. If the Ninja were here, then that meant they were here to rescue the prisoners. Her best bet was to stand guard and stop them there. It would be easy for her to lure them into the cells, then the vengestone would do the rest.

She could do this.

She _would_ do this!

She had to!

No matter what, she wouldn't lose another friend!

* * *

With Zane providing ample distraction, Kai and Nya managed to sneak past the guards and into the mansion through the secret passage Lloyd had told them about.

Fortunately, given that they thought the Lloyds were dead, it still wasn't guarded and they slipped in easily.

Unfortunately, it was like a labyrinth in there, and Luh-Loyd had been unconscious during his trip through it, Lil'Loyd had departed before he could give directions, and SJ just plain didn't remember all the twists and turns they'd taken to get through it.

So basically, neither twin knew where they were going, but those passageways had to lead somewhere… right?

Well, probably, but given that they'd just left their friend outside to fight off hordes of guards by himself, it made the two of them a little more impatient than usual.

"Do you think this is it?" asked Kai, pointing at a door out of the passage. He then spotted another one further down the hall. "Or do you think it's that one?" He then saw yet another door even farther away. "Or…"

"How am I supposed to know, Kai," said Nya with a huff. "This place is a maze."

Zane's falcon chirped in agreement from Kai's shoulder.

Kai frowned at the closest door, before carefully cracking it open, intending to get a quick look if the dungeons were anywhere in sight.

Only to peek out and come face to face with a guard who looked just as surprised to see him as he was.

The guard opened his mouth to shout, but Kai was quicker. His fist shot out of the opening and caught the guard under the jaw, knocking him out cold, then grabbed him and dragged him into the passageway so his unconscious form wouldn't be spotted.

"Nice reflexes," said Nya, impressed.

"Thanks," said Kai as he used parts of the guard's own uniform to tie him up and gag him. "Bodyguard training."

After confirming that the door didn't appear to be the one they wanted, Kai was more careful opening the next one and managed to avoid being spotted. He then did the same with the next one… and the next one… and the next one…

"How many doors does this passage have?" Nya griped as they kept moving.

"Too many," grumbled Kai, and Nya didn't disagree.

"If this keeps up we're never going to find-" Kai started to continue, but stopped when he opened the next door that looked to lead to some kind of garage.

And staring back at him, looking terrified, was Cyrus Borg being held at spearpoint by several guards.

"Never mind," said Kai as he pushed the door the rest of the way open so he and his sister could rush out.

The guards didn't know what hit them.

Borg let out a heavy sigh of relief as the twins worked to restrain the now unconscious guards. "Thank goodness you're here, Ninja Force," he said. "I'm so sorry, I've been made to create something truly terrible."

"We know," said Nya sympathetically. "Penny and Prof. Julien filled us in, and we saw it fly by while coming here."

"It's not your fault," said Kai comfortingly. "They have your daughter. Turning them down wasn't an option."

Borg blinked at them. "Pixal told you?" he asked in surprise. "Have you freed her already? Is she alright?"

"No, not yet," admitted Nya. "Zane gave her a way to contact us in an emergency, but we haven't been able to find her in this stupid house yet."

"Yeah," said Kai, his disappointment evident. "We haven't seen her, or Skylor, or any of the other prisoners here yet."

Nya's expression twisted into a grimace at the mention of Skylor's name, but to both twins' surprise, Borg nodded vehemently at the mention of her. "Oh yes, please save that poor girl," he said.

"Poor girl?" asked Nya, her shock easy to hear. "This is all her fault? She's the reason you're here!"

"Not by choice, that much is clear," Borg said sadly. "She tried to warn us, and she's done nothing but try to protect Pixal since we got here."

Kai's expression brightened hearing that, but Nya was far from convinced. "She _betrayed_ us!" she insisted. "She's done nothing but lie to us since we met her. How do we know it wasn't all an act."

"But Nya, remember what Zane and Penny said," protested Kai. "Chen and his cronies have been hurting her."

"Indeed they have," agreed Borg sorrowfully. "I saw it myself. Chen will do anything to keep that poor girl under his thumb."

Nya looked away, unconvinced. "And how do we know that wasn't all still part of the act?" she asked. "If she and Chen were just playing you to get more out of you. I'm not buying it."

Kai scowled, his own frustration growing. No matter how much he understood that Nya was still hurting from the discovery of Skylor's allegiance, that was no excuse to turn a blind eye. But he knew his sister. She was stubborn and prided herself on being a good judge of character, and had been viewing Skylor as a good person. Someone trustworthy that they'd welcomed into their home and shared secrets with. But this betrayal had spit in the face of every positive judgment Nya had made about her, and she wasn't going to give up her new grudge so easily.

Fortunately, Borg spoke up. "I truly do not think that is the case," he said. "Unless I was doing something they didn't like to their mech, they barely noticed I was here, and, well, listen."

Reaching for a button on his wheelchair, Borg replayed the recording he'd taken of Chen and Clouse's discussion of Skylor's True Potential.

"_Her fear of me is the only thing holding her back. If she overcomes that, we'll never be able to control her __**again**__! We just got the power of Green __**out**_ _of the Ninja Force's hands. If she were to go and give it back to them we might actually __**lose**__!"_

Hearing that, Kai looked hopeful, but Nya was resolute.

"I'm not buying it," she said bluntly. "For all we know, that was staged."

"What are you saying?" asked Kai, frowning at his sister.

"I'm saying she made her bed, and now she can lie in it," said Nya stubbornly, moving to start pushing Borg's chair. "She's too much of a risk and too loyal to Chen."

"But-" Kai tried to protest.

"No, Kai," said Nya firmly. "Now let's go, we found Borg, but we still need to save the other prisoners." She glanced at him and added, "Follow my lead."

Kai gritted his teeth at those words. From the way Nya said them, he knew they were final, and there would be no changing her mind, even with Borg still giving it a tentative try as she began pushing his chair out of the room.

'Follow my lead' she'd said. It was something he'd always done, be it with Nya or Lloyd, he'd always follow what they thought was best. They usually knew better, after all. He'd follow them into heck if he had to.

But not this time.

"No," said Kai slowly.

Nya paused from where she'd been wheeling Borg, and glanced back at him in surprise. "What?" she asked.

"I said _no!_" Kai repeated, storming over to look her in the eye. "You're wrong. I'm not giving up on Skylor."

Nya sighed. "Look, Kai, I know you have a crush on her, but-"

"It's not about that!" Kai all but shouted. "It's about a girl who's been hurt and manipulated her entire life by someone she should have been able to trust. We can't just abandon her to live like this. We said we'd protect her from her father. I promised her I would." His eyes narrowed in determination, and he marched past her out of the room. "So I'm going to save her."

"Kai, she doesn't want to be saved," Nya called after him.

"You don't know that!" Kai snapped.

"Neither do you!" Nya snapped back.

"Yeah, maybe I don't," Kai admitted, undeterred. "But I'm going to try anyway. Because I know this is the right thing to do!"

And with that, he took off down the hall, intending to search the entire building until he found Skylor, and somehow feeling lighter than he was before.

Nya could only stare after her brother in disbelief. She couldn't remember the last time he'd downright refused to follow her orders on a Ninja mission.

From his chair, Borg let out a breathy chuckle. "What a passionate young man," he said. "Is he always like this?"

"No, never," said Nya, still bewildered. "He's usually a follower to a fault."

"Is he now?" said Borg curiously. "Well, I suppose now is a good a time as any for that to change, because I quite agree with him. No one deserves to be trapped in this terrible place."

'_But is it a good thing?'_ Nya wondered to herself as she stared in the direction her brother had gone, hoping he'd come back. Worry churned in her gut when he didn't. A part of her knew Kai had a point. What Skylor likely went through at her father's hands was tragic, but could they ever trust her? Until that afternoon, everything they'd known about her was a lie. Lies Nya had missed even though she'd been looking for them for her Nya Test, which Skylor had been doing very well on. She'd only been waiting for Kai to admit he liked her to give Skylor a passing grade, but now… If she could fool them so easily before, what's to stop her from doing it again, and the Water Ninja couldn't stand the thought of her brother being hurt like that.

Nya bit the inside of her cheek and decided to trust her brother and not to argue. "Come on," she said, pushing Borg onwards. "Let's go find your daughter and the Serpentine. We'll leave Skylor to Kai."

She then glanced down the hallway in the direction her brother had gone and added mostly to herself. "I just hope he knows what he's doing."

* * *

"I have no idea what I'm doing," Kai admitted out loud once he was several hallways away from Nya.

Zane's falcon, which was still perched on his shoulder, let out a soft squawk hearing that.

"This place is huge!" Kai said, taking that as permission to continue to rant at the mechanical bird. "I couldn't even find my way around with Nya's help, how am I supposed to find Skylor on my own."

The falcon ruffled its wings in a way that mimicked a shrug.

"I guess you wouldn't know where to find her either?" Kai asked the falcon. "Some kind of, I don't know, radar that picks up cute girls?"

The falcon shook its head.

"Figures," Kai sighed.

It was at that moment something Nya had said before he left finally hit him.

"WAIT! NYA KNOWS I HAVE A CRUSH ON SKYLOR!" he blurted out. "_HOW?_"

Though the falcon's face wasn't capable of that expression, there was no mistaking the deadpan look it gave the Fire Ninja. The mechanical bird only had secondhand knowledge from Zane to go by, and even to it, the boy's feelings were obvious.

Kai let out a loud groan. "Aw man, Nya's been testing her this whole time, hasn't she? No wonder she's so mad. How did I not notice?"

The falcon just let out an amused chirp.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Kai grumbled when he heard that.

The sound of approaching footsteps pulled Kai out of his thoughts, and he looked up just in time to see…

"Skylor!"

The redhead came to a stop just down the hall from him, looking like she'd been drawn by his shouts. "Kai," she said in an even voice.

Despite the situation, a smile started to spread across Kai's face at the sight of her, but it quickly fell away at the sight of Skylor's newly bruised cheek. "You're hurt," he said, reaching out towards her in concern. "Let me help you."

Skylor looked taken aback by his actions, allowing him to almost reach her.

Then Kai was left winded as a jet of water burst from her hands and sent him flying back down the hall.

Kai gasped and scrambled back to his feet, the falcon flapping worriedly above him as it struggled to fly with its damaged wing before landing on his shoulder again. He looked back at Skylor as torrents began leaking from the ceiling as she burst entire pipes to flood the hallway.

And Kai _hated_ water!

Still hoping to talk this out, Kai hurried to meet the girl's gaze, but all he saw in Skylor's eyes was a steely resolve.

"You're sweet, Kai, for thinking about me," Skylor said as the hallway continued to fill with water. Drawing it up around herself and looking ready to fight, she added in a deadly calm tone, "But you should be more worried about yourself."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good for Kai standing up for himself and following his own instincts instead of someone else. He's got moxie. To be clear, Nya's not trying to be a jerk to Skylor and her situation. While her hurt feelings are a big part of the problem, she's mostly trying to be logical. At the moment, Skylor is a wildcard who seems more likely to side with Chen than with them, and with the lives of Borg, Pixal, and the Serpentine prisoners on the line, it's not a gamble she's willing to take. Kai, however, isn't one for logic and is instead following his heart. Is he blinded by his crush, or can he convince Skylor to change sides? We'll just have to find out.
> 
> Massive thanks as always to Kay Hau. She's the one who encouraged me to have Borg play the recording to Kai and Nya, and for me to expand on Nya's thought process of the whole thing.
> 
> Next Time: Both Kai and Skylor are determined to protect each other. Unfortunately, their ideas of protection can only lead to a clash.


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Kai and Skylor are determined to protect each other. Unfortunately, their ideas of protection can only lead to a clash.

_Movie Ninjago_

To say the people of Ouroboros were not happy to hear Chen was gunning for them when Lloyd, Cole, and Jay called ahead was a vast understatement.

Lord Garmadon summed it up best.

"Oh, that slimy &!#%!"

By the time the three teenagers reached the city, preparations were already underway for Chen's arrival. The army was mobilizing, the defenses of the city were being reinforced, and a mass evacuation of the civilians was underway.

"We don't have long until he gets here," Lloyd reported once he and his teammates were brought back onto the Bounty where his family and the Serpentine generals and their king were directing preparations and planning for the coming attack. "His mech's not all that fast, so we have a little bit of time left."

"What can you tell usss of thisss mech?" asked King Skales seriously. "Did you sssee any weaknessesss?"

"Not really," said Cole.

"It looked like the Snake Mech they had before," Jay said, wringing his hands nervously. "Only now it's gold, and its head got split into four. And that thing is stupid tough to beat. We barely made a scratch on it last time."

"The mech seems to be mostly immune to our elements," Lloyd explained to the adults. "Kai and Jay's attacks did nothing to it, and it was able to take being hit by stones from Cole too. Its invulnerability might be part of the preparation for it to handle the Golden Weapons. And now that it has them, our very elements are under its command."

"Getting the Golden Weapons back should likely be our priority, at the very least," said Koko thoughtfully as she strategized. "If they are what gives that thing extra power, then anything we can do to take that power away should weaken it."

"I highly doubt Chen will give usss much of a chance," said General Arcturus.

"But any opening we receive will benefit us," said King Skales. He then turned to the Ninja. "Perhapsss it might be best if you drew mossst of hisss attention with your mechs, allowing my soldiersss to get close and take them back."

Lloyd frowned, knowing that was a very risky idea, but… "It's the best plan we have right now. But be ready to change it on the fly once we have more of an idea of what that thing can do.

"Or the others manage to save Borg," added Jay. "He made that thing, so he'd know its weaknesses. Heck, he might have even built some into it."

"Uh, hate to break up the planning powwow, but we've got company," said Lord Garmadon, staring off the side of the Bounty with a scowl.

"And he does not look friendly," added Master Wu next to him, looking through a telescope. "... Or at all good in that outfit. And I thought my brother was tacky."

"Hey!" squawked Garmadon.

They all rushed to the side of the ship and saw a massive golden figure coming towards them and closing in fast.

Knowing they were out of time, King Skales rushed to the other side of the ship to address his army. "Battle Stationsss!" he bellowed, and the soldiers hurried to get into position.

Lloyd, Cole, and Jay all pulled their hoods over their heads and rushed to their mechs while Master Wu fired up the Bounty with Koko and Garmadon manning the cannons.

If Chen thought he'd have an easy victory here, he had another thing coming.

* * *

Kai stared at Skylor in disbelief.

This could not be happening.

"Skylor, I don't want to fight you!" he said as he got back to his feet. "Just let me-"

"Then don't," Skylor said, cutting him off. "Just give up and go to a cell, and I'll put in a good word for you."

Kai shook his head. "You know I can't do that Skylor. Ninja never quit, and what your dad is doing… we can't let him get away with it."

"He'll get away with it regardless," Skylor insisted. "He always does."

"Not this time," Kai insisted right back.

But Skylor only shook her head, looking like a parent exasperated that their child still believed in fairy tales. "Kai, face it. You can't win here. I'm sorry, but Lloyd is dead, so your power from his Green is gone. You don't have your True Potential, so you don't have that to fall back on. And I'm sorry for this too, but I know you and this element don't really get along," she listed apologetically nodding to the water she'd surrounded herself with.

Kai couldn't help but wince at her words. That's right, she knew he hated water, and yet she was willing to use it against him on top of implying he was helpless without Lloyd's power. That… stung.

But he was not backing down.

Standing tall opposite her, he narrowed his eyes and shifted into a fighting stance. "You're wrong," he said firmly. "About all of that, and I'll prove it to you."

Skylor looked at him in disbelief. "You really think you can fight all this with only your fists?" she asked incredulously and waved at all the water.

On cue, Zane's falcon let out a loud cry and hopped down to land on one of Kai's fists. Kai only had a moment to blink at the mechanical bird before its entire body began to whirr and shift in shape until a falcon-shaped gauntlet covered his hand, and from the cold permeating from it, Kai was willing to bet Zane had put some very cool surprises into it.

With a sharp grin at Skylor, Kai said, "Yes, I really can."

While surprised at the appearance of the gauntlet, Skylor still didn't seem convinced and let out a regretful sigh. "If you insist," she said.

And that was all the warning Kai had before she sent an entire wave of water at him.

Kai reared his gauntleted hand back as it approached. "This one's for you, Zane," he muttered under his breath, remembering the likely reason why the falcon now had this feature.

He then punched forwards at the wave with all his might and a cry of, "FALCON _PUUUNCH!"_

The instant his fist made contact with the wave the entire thing burst and froze at the same time, leaving a parted path of ice in its wake and freezing the rest of the wave solid.

Skylor blinked in shock at that, and couldn't help but say, "Falcon Punch? Really?"

Kai shrugged. "Zane would sulk for hours if I didn't."

"He's not even here," said Skylor.

"The falcon would tattle on me," Kai replied.

The falcon gauntlet let out an affirmative chirp.

Skylor just blinked at him, before her expression turned to a frown. "Would you take this seriously!" she shouted, sending another wave at him.

Kai froze that too, then jumped over it. "I _am_ taking this seriously," he said. "I _seriously_ want you to stop and let me help you!"

"You can help me by giving up!" Skylor said back, aiming a ribbon of water at him in midair.

"Sorry, no can do!" said Kai, freezing the ribbon and using it as a slide to get closer to her. "Doing that won't help anyone! Least of all you!"

Growing frustrated, Skylor started throwing water at him faster and from all directions. "IT'LL HELP ME KEEP YOU ALIVE!" she yelled.

"Alive but locked in a cage," Kai said back as he worked to dodge or freeze her attacks. "Doesn't really sound like living!"

Skylor just let out a wordless growl and sent another wave at him.

Kai froze that one too, but it had the unfortunate effect of freezing a wall between the two of them.

"DANG IT!" Skylor cursed, and Kai could hear her pick up what sounded like the remains of one of the burst pipes, and begin using it to chip away at the wall.

The Fire Ninja blinked as the implications of those sounds sunk in. "Wait," he said. "Don't you have all our powers right now? Can't you use mine to melt it, or can you only use one at a time?"

There was a pause in the ice chipping. It seemed that hadn't occurred to Skylor as he saw a brief glow of flames on the other side through the ice.

Then to his surprise, before they could get very big, the flames sputtered and died out, causing Skylor to let out a miserable sigh.

"Skylor?" Kai asked, concerned. "Are you okay?"

Skylor didn't respond, just started picking at the ice again.

So Kai kept talking. "What am I asking, of course you're not okay," he said in exasperation. "You're stuck at this awful place, your friends are working against you, and your evil father's making you do things I know you don't want to do, and even when you do them, he hurts you, doesn't he?"

There was a telling pause in Skylor's work, but she still didn't answer.

Kai pressed his hand up against the ice as if that would somehow let him reach her. "It doesn't have to be this way Skylor," he all but begged. "Let me help you! We can get you away from him."

There was a long moment of silence before Skylor's voice answered back. "There's no way to get away from him," she said weakly. "He always gets what he wants. You _can't_ stop him."

"YES, WE CAN!" Kai insisted.

"NO, YOU _CAN'T!_" Skylor snapped just as forcefully. She then choked on a sob. "Everyone who's ever tried has failed. _I've _tried so many times and he… This is the only way I can protect you! We've already lost Lloyd! I don't care what he does to me, just please don't make me lose you too!"

Kai felt his temper flare. Everything she was saying was wrong, but it had clearly been beaten into her so many times that she wouldn't hear a word edgewise. If he could just make her see the truth! That Chen wasn't infallible!

His eyes widened! That was it!

It wasn't until the falcon let out a sound of discomfort and shifted back into its original form before hopping back to his shoulder that Kai noticed how hot his hands were. He'd been subconsciously trying to call his element and to his utter surprise, it was responding loud and clear.

"Wait, what?" Kai gasped, pulling his hands back from the now handprint indents into the ice and staring at the roaring flames dancing in his palms. "When did I-?" He then shook his head. "Revelations later!"

He then glowered at the ice wall, then used his powers to fire blast his way straight through.

Skylor only had a moment to stare at him in shock before Kai leaped at her and managed to get her pinned to the soaked floor.

"Skylor, listen to me!" he said, staring her directly in her eyes. "We can beat your dad! Lloyd's already done it!"

Completely flummoxed, Skylor paused trying to break free and could only stare back at him. "W-What?" she gasped.

"Lloyd's _alive!"_ Kai told her. "So are the kids! Little Bro's helping the Serpentine prepare for your dad's attack right now! How do you think we knew how to get in here?"

Skylor did a very good impression of a fish, before stuttering out, "But- But the leviathan-"

"Is a friend of ours," said Kai, nodding the falcon. "Its name's Taffy, by the way."

Catching the Fire Ninja's meaning, the mechanical bird quickly showed a hologram out of its eyes that depicted both Lloyds and SJ grinning and waving from atop a mass of giant tentacles."

Skylor stared at the image and clearly didn't know what to think. "But my father said-"

"He was _wrong_, Skylor," Kai insisted. "Lloyd beat him! And if we beat him once, we can do it again." He looked her dead in the eye and said with absolute resolve. "We can _do this!_ Just, please, let me help you!"

Skylor stared at him with wide eyes. The longer she looked, the glossier they became as tears started spilling down her cheeks and she stopped fighting his hold.

Kai pulled her up into a hug as she broke down in sobs, and she clung back to him as if he were the only thing keeping her steady as her entire world view shifted on its axis.

Then, finally, she whispered into his shoulder.

"_Okay._"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kai's got a big heart. All he wants is to help Skylor, but he couldn't do that if she didn't let him. If you missed it, Kai's True Potential came to him when he stood up to Nya. The whole fic he's been, as Nya said, a follower to a fault. He always did as Nya or Lloyd said even if he disagreed, and even when he did make his own decisions he had a lot of doubts about them. It was when he stood up, trusted his instincts, and said "No, I know this is what's right" and followed through on it that he got his True Potential. Skylor, meanwhile, was so convinced that nothing could stop her father, that it wasn't until she was confronted with proof that someone actually pulled one over on him that she was willing to listen otherwise. She's still not at all convinced this will work, but she's willing to try now. Because if Lloyd could trick Chen, then maybe he's not as infallible as she's been led to believe. Maybe, she's still pretty scared.
> 
> As ever, a massive thanks to Kay Hau for helping plan and beta reading this chapter. The fight between Kai and Skylor is something we'd planned from the very early stages of the fic. Especially with the Falcon Punch. Some dialogue might be from her, and it was something I'd looked forward to writing.
> 
> Next Time: With Pixal set to handle Lloyd's energy powers, and him not dangling out a window anymore, all they need to do is shut the Nindroids down... yeah, like it'll be that easy.


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Pixal set to handle Lloyd's energy powers, and him not dangling out a window anymore, all they need to do is shut the Nindroids down... yeah, like it'll be that easy.

_Show Ninjago_

Pythor could only gape at the sight of Sensei Garmadon.

"Wha-! How-! You-! You're sssupposed to be a _pacifist!_" he screeched. Pointing at Cryptor, who now had a noticeable dent in his frame from Sensei Garmadon's kick. "What about that wasss pacifistic."

Sensei Garmadon spared a fond glance down at his son before answering the original question. "Some things are worth breaking such vows," he said.

Lloyd beamed back up at him, but the moment was ruined when Misako called out from the Bounty.

"I called it!" she said, a grin clear in her voice. "Pay up, Wu!"

They all heard Sensei Wu let out a loud groan. "I had such faith in you, brother," he called to Garmadon in disappointment. "I was certain you would keep your vow."

The entire group could only stand frozen as they processed this.

"You _bet _on me?" Garmadon finally asked, sounding like he didn't know if he should feel outraged or not.

"We all bet on you," Wu called back. "I and myself thought you could keep your vow, that rapscallion in the volcano bet you wouldn't last a week, but we've all lost Misako and Koko," he added, keeping it vague in the case of their dimensional counterparts.

Misako sounded very smug as she said, "You may be his brother, Wu, but I married him. I knew he'd break the moment Lloyd was in danger, and Koko agreed."

"How'd you know he's a pacifist?" Kai demanded, butting into the conversation. "What? Are you spying on us?"

"It's in his classsses' _pamphlet!_ For his ssstupid monassstery!" shouted Pythor, looking at Kai like he was an idiot. "Thisss is falssse advertisement!"

Kai blinked at that. "Oh," was all he could say.

Sensei Garmadon just sighed. "Son, please just fry these machines," he said tiredly.

"Can do," said Lloyd, who was far too amused by his family's antics.

"NO!" shrieked Pythor, and the Anacondrai launched himself at the two Garmadons in a rage.

Garmadon clutched his son to himself and dodged the attack, but Pythor kept coming, and the dodging was rattling Lloyd around so much he couldn't get an energy ball in edgewise.

Kai jumped in to help, only to be blocked by Cryptor.

"Not so fast, pitiful Nin-JAH!" the evil Nindroid started to say, only to be cut off when Echo shot forward and punched him into a wall so hard he made a deep indent in the plaster.

Kai blinked and looked between Echo and the Cryptor-shaped hole in the wall. "I'll leave him to you," he said darting around the mech-driving Nindroid to help Lloyd and Garmadon, who looked like they needed it given Pythor had just called for reinforcements.

Echo grinned viciously. "With pleasure. I've been waiting for this rematch."

Cryptor pried himself out of the hole and glared at him. "You'll pay for that, slag," he growled.

Echo beckoned to him and said, "Bring it on." And the two launched themselves at each other.

Garmadon, meanwhile, was now fighting off both Pythor and his army of Nindroid reinforcements, and while he was holding his own, it was clear that both fighting and protecting Lloyd was taking its toll. Upon catching sight of Kai approaching, he got an idea.

"Kai, _catch!"_ he called and tossed his son over the Nindroids' heads and to the startled Red Ninja.

Lloyd yelped as he was thrown like a ragdoll. Fortunately, Kai was able to catch him without much difficulty, but that just meant the Nindroid army's attention was now on him. Pythor turned to him too, but Garmadon took advantage of his distraction to give him a spin kick to the face, forcing him back into their fight.

Kai, meanwhile, was forced to keep jumping around with Lloyd in his arms to keep the Nindroids from snatching him away.

"Kai! I'm gonna puke!" shouted Lloyd as the rough treatment made him too nauseous to even think of energy balls right now.

"Sorry, little bro," Kai replied as he narrowly dodged getting dogpiled by the Nindroids, then ducked around Echo and Cryptor's continued fight (Cryptor tried to blast Echo with his lasers, but Echo blocked it with one arm and launched a rocket punch at him with the other.) and yelled, "Zane! Think fast!"

Zane, who had been standing guard over Dr. Julien and Borg alongside Pixal, looked over at him just in time to see Kai throw Lloyd in his direction (the mighty Green Ninja letting out an indignant squawk as he did so).

It was only with Pixal's help that the White Ninja was able to catch him safely. "Are you alright, Lloyd," he asked as they lowered him back to the ground.

"I will be when the room stops spinning," Lloyd groaned, looking more than a little dizzy from being tossed around willy-nilly.

Sympathetic, but knowing they needed his power _now,_ Zane shoved Lloyd behind him to be comforted by his and Pixal's fathers, determined to hold off the encroaching Nindroids until he could. Pixal stood determined at his side, and one look from her made it clear she would not appreciate being told to cower with those they were protecting.

And while he wanted her safe, Zane was glad for the support. "I do not know how well I will fight with half my heart," he admitted to her as the Nindroids attempted to get around Echo and Cryptor's brawl and Kai's determined blows with many being unsuccessful and getting drawn in by them (Cryptor somehow had managed to get a sword, and swung it at Echo's unprotected head, but was stopped by a fireball to the back from Kai and didn't recover fast enough before Echo punched him again.).

"Seeing as I am in possession of that half, I will do my best to make up for any deficiency," Pixal promised him as a small group of Nindroids managed to get through to run at them.

Zane smiled, and the two stood side by side to meet the oncoming threat. "_Ninja!"_ he cried.

"_GOOO!"_ Pixal finishing and the two moved as one to beat back the evil Nindroids, both moving in perfect harmony.

The Pythor's army didn't stand a chance.

Pythor managed to get some distance from Garmadon during their scuffle and had to pause to just stare at the sight of his entire plan falling down around his ears (do Serpentine even have ears?).

His army outside was being decimated by the Blue Ninja nursing some grudge. His army in here was being taken down with equal efficacy thanks to the Red and White Ninja with that android girl he really should have killed when he had the chance. His general was fighting for all he was worth against another, far less polished Nindroid, and _losing._ And to top, it all of, this stupid, supposedly pacifistic sensei would not. Stop. _Hitting him!_ (Sensei Garmadon punched him again as he thought all that, just to prove his point).

Could this day get any worse?

On cue, a vivid green glow caught Pythor's attention.

Why yes. Yes, it can.

Now recovered, Lloyd shot Pythor an absolutely wicked grin as his power built up in his hands, and all the Nindroids closest to him began to glitch and spasm.

"SHOOT HIM!" shouted Pythor desperately to the Nindroids still out of the little Green Ninja's range. "_SHOOT HIM!"_

But it was too late.

"Lights _out!"_ Lloyd shouted as he made his energy ball expand out in a shockwave, knocking out all power in the building, and sending the evil Nindroids crumpling to the ground with a thud.

(Echo looked very disappointed when his pummeling of Cryptor was cut off so quickly and gave the Nindroid one last kick as he toppled over before being satisfied.)

And with the tower's systems connected directly to the rest of the Nindroid Army's systems, the energy was blasted throughout the rest of Pythor's forces, causing them all to seize then fall where they stood. Within a blink, the entire army was shorted out.

(Outside, Jay was heaving heavy breaths in his jet as he pulled it in for a landing, practically spent as his outrage slowly calmed, and Cole and Nya finally felt it was safe enough to approach and hopefully comfort him.)

It was over.

They'd won.

"_NO!_" shrieked Pythor. "NO! NO! NO! YOU ROTTEN BRAT!" He lunged at Lloyd, but Sensei Garmadon snagged his tail and stopped him.

Despite that, Pythor fought to get free anyway so he could tear into the child that kept. Ruining.

His! _Plans!_

"Why! Why is it alwaysss _you_ that ruinsss _everything!"_ he demanded even as Lloyd was hidden from his sight as the rest of the Ninja present, the android girl, and the two inventors moved to stand protectively between them. "With that army I could _finally_ get what I dessserve! Power! Revenge! World domination! It was all _right_ within my grasssp and you _ruined it!"_

The only answer Lloyd gave was to peek out from behind Zane's back and blow a raspberry at him.

Pythor let out a howl of rage, and nearly broke free of Garmadon's grasp, but Echo quickly lent him a hand, and the two swung Pythor into a wall instead.

Pythor stopped fussing momentarily as he shook his head with a dazed expression, before lifting himself up once again.

And proceeded to throw what could only be described as a temper tantrum.

The heroes could only watch dumbfounded as their enemy shouted and carried on far more childishly than Lloyd ever was. Even Misako and Wu could only stare at him from where the Bounty hovered beside the building. The last time they'd beaten him he'd been swallowed by the Great Devourer and vanished in the chaos after its destruction. They hadn't had a chance to see what a sore loser he was then, but they were sure getting an eyeful of it now.

They were so distracted by Pythor's outburst that none of them noticed the building's emergency backup power kick in, or a Nindroid's hand begin to twitch.

"Not fair! Not fair! I should be ruling over you pathetic human wormsss by now! Why do you wretched ninja alwaysss ruin everything!" Pythor continued squawking in utter indignation at the destruction of his plans.

"_This_ is the leader we were forced to follow?" said a dry, rattling voice, startling them all.

They turned to see Cryptor slowly climbing back to his feet, and the rest of the Nindroids seemed to be awakening too.

However, something was different about them. Instead of the burning red eyes, they'd all had before, their eyes were now a glowing green, the same shade as Pixal's.

Pythor recovered from his shock first, and a wide grin spread across his face. "Excellent!" he said. "Now, you lazy bucketsss of boltsss, I want you to deal with these ssstupid Ninja! _Properly_ this time! I will not tolerate any more failuresss!"

But Cryptor only glared at him with his now gleaming green eyes. "And why should _we_ listen to someone as spineless and pathetic as you?" he snapped, angered by the disrespect the Anacondrai was showing them.

And he wasn't alone, all around them, the newly awakened Nindroids began glowering at Pythor with disgust in their LED gazes.

Pythor's jaw dropped as he gaped at his army. "I am your massster!" he snapped at them in a self-important tone. "You _will_ obey me!"

Cryptor exchanged glances with the rest of the Nindroid army, and all seemed to come to an agreement. "No," Cryptor said menacingly as he and the rest began advancing on Pythor. "I do not think we will."

As Pythor continued to bluster and bark orders, Kai leaned over to whisper to the people most likely to give him answers. "What's going on?" he asked.

Pixal stared at the army of Nindroids and then gave a gasp of realization. "Pythor forced me to instill absolute loyalty in them when I used my plans to create them," she replied. "However, in the interest of protecting Ninjago, I made that part of their programing as flimsy as possible, so if something such as, say, a reboot were to occur, then that part of their programming would not survive it."

"_Your_ plans?" demanded Cryptor, glancing over at her. "Not-" he glanced at Zane, before turning his attention back to Pythor, the discovery of his entire existence being was a lie only further fueling his rage and indignation. "You mean to tell me our illustrious _leader_ didn't even notice you made him _office bots_ instead of Nindroids?"

Pythor spluttered indignantly, but it was clear Cryptor was done talking.

"It seems, due to incompetent and insultingly moronic leadership, a change in management is required," he said menacingly as he slowly advanced on the snake. "Any opposed?"

All the Nindroids there voiced their agreements. A particularly small Nindroid was especially feisty and kicked at Pythor's tail.

"Ouch!" Pythor cried, glaring at the Nindroids and opening his mouth to rebuke them once again before his surroundings finally seemed to register to him, and he began looking nervous. "Now, now," he said nervously, backing away from the encroaching Nindroids. "I'm-I'm sure we can work thisss out."

Cryptor's only response was to ready his eye-piece laser to fire, his actions copied by all the other Nindroids.

Pythor let out a yelp as they all opened fire on him, then promptly turned invisible and fled.

Cryptor scowled at the spot where Pythor was last seen. "Switch to infrared," he ordered the rest of the Nindroids and then hurried out of the room after the snake, with his subordinates on his tail.

The Ninja could only watch bewildered as one, Pythor's forces unanimously mutinied and proceeded to chase the evil Serpentine completely out of town, not even his invisibility saving him from their wrath.

"Aw man!" Jay groaned from street level as he saw the entire remaining Nindroid army run off into the desert still chasing Pythor. "Now I've gotta get in line to pummel that snake."

"Eh, I'm sure you'll get your shot," Cole said encouragingly. "Pythor's a slippery one, but he always comes back for more."

"Ain't that the truth," Nya agreed.

Even as they said that the Bounty, now housing the rest of their team flew down to meet them.

"It's not over yet!" Kai said as they got on board. "There's still trouble in the other Ninjago."

Cole nodded. "We did promise to help," he agreed.

"Then let's not keep them waiting," said Zane.

Pixal caught his hand, and said worriedly, "Wait, Zane, your heart!" she then frowned in confusion. "And what do you mean 'other Ninjago'?"

Zane smiled at her. "We will both fix that, and explain on the way."

With that, the Bounty lifted up again and flew back to where they'd left the carriage, leaving a newly freed Ninjago city to celebrate behind them.

They still had friends to save.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like the Show Ninja won the race to see who cleans up their world the fastest. Now they're off to help out Movie Ninjago. To be clear, Pixal based her plan for the Nindroids' weakness on what she thought would happen to them when exposed to Lloyd's powers. She'd never actually seen the full outcome and thought they'd be shut down for good. None of them had any idea they'd reboot like that, though if Lloyd were to zap them again they'd go down just as hard. The reason he didn't is because they were suddenly so focused on going after Pythor. Finding out they're based on office workerbots instead of badass ninjabots was a huge blow to Cryptor and the rests' pride, and was not helped by how Pythor was treating them. So when they woke up without the programming saying they had to obey Pythor they decided to take it out on him instead. As for what the Nindroids do next, we'll see. They're going to be pretty focused on Pythor hunting for a while at least. They may be able to track him, but Pythor's slippery. It's going to be a long chase.
> 
> As ever, a massive thanks to Kay Hau for helping plan and beta this chapter. I think the idea that everyone was betting on when Sensei Garmadon would break his pacifism vow was her idea.
> 
> Next Time: With Zane causing a ruckus, and Kai comforting Skylor, it's up to Nya to save Pixal and the Serpentine.


	43. Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Zane causing a ruckus, and Kai comforting Skylor, it's up to Nya to save Pixal and the Serpentine.

_Movie Ninjago_

Pixal was starting to wonder if being kidnapped and locked in a room for hours was supposed to be this boring.

Worried though she was for her father, she had faith in Skylor's word they wouldn't be harmed, so all that left for her was to continue to sit on Skylor's bed and wait for her impending rescue.

And frankly, sitting there and staring at a wall for the last few hours was beginning to grow tedious.

Still, it was not like there was much else she could do. She did not wish to invade Skylor's privacy, so searching through the room for something to read was out of the question. As much as she wanted to, it would not be wise for her to call the Ninja Force again as it may give away the fact she'd contacted them and ruin their attempts to sneak in, and the last thing she wanted was to spoil their rescue.

And so, she reluctantly continued to sit and wait.

Wow, being held captive is boring.

As Pixal entertained herself by completing all her homework for the rest of the year on her internal systems (she could print them out later), something _finally_ happened.

"Pixal!"

Pixal's head snapped around, and through the barred window on the door, she could see Borg and Nya staring back at her.

"Father!" she cried and hurried towards the door.

Her father was beside himself with joy as they met through the bars, and Nya gave her a reassuring grin.

"Don't worry," the Water Ninja said. "I'll get you out soo-"

But before she could even finish, Pixal _yanked_ the door completely off its hinges, tossed it aside, and embraced her father.

Nya could only stare, her mouth agape.

Eventually noticing her friend's shock over her father's head, Pixal looked sheepish. "I did not wish to cause harm to my father or other hostages by escaping too soon, but getting past that door was a simple exercise in physics."

Nya finally stopped gaping and grinned teasingly. "The fact you're all tough and made of metal probably helped too."

With her Penny hologram still on, Pixal blushed.

Seeing that, Nya's smile softened. "So I've heard some new introductions are in order," she said, holding out a hand for Pixal to shake. "Nya Smith, Water Ninja, and you are?"

Pixal began to smile herself. "Pixal Borg," she said, shaking Nya's hand. "Sorry for all the trouble."

"Don't be," said Nya. "You're not the one causing it. And the ones who are will get theirs soon enough."

Pixal smiled brightly at her, then looked around. "Is Zane with you?" she asked curiously.

"He's outside distracting the guards," said Nya knowingly.

"Is it just you two?" asked Pixal.

"No, Kai's here too," said Nya, her smile fading at the mention of her brother.

"He's helping poor Skylor," added Borg.

Pixal gave a sigh of relief hearing that. "That's good. I hope that he may be able to convince her of the error in her logic. I'm sorry to say I have been unsuccessful in doing so."

That only seemed to worry Nya more, but she bit her tongue to keep from voicing her doubts. Instead, she said, "Do you know where the rest of the Serpentine prisoners are? The sooner we free them, the sooner we can all get off this stupid island."

"Getting away from this wretched place sounds lovely," Borg agreed.

"I believe they are this way," Pixal said, pointing down a hallway deeper into the dungeon. "I overheard such mention of them from passing guards during my stay."

"Awesome," said Nya. "Then let's free some snakes."

Thankfully, it didn't take long to find the imprisoned Serpentine. The sight of one of the Ninja Force arriving to save them sent several hissing cheers through the cells, and the optimism Nya's presence gave was palpable.

It was almost enough for Nya to forget her worries about Kai. Times like this made it feel good to be the hero. Like she could do anything.

"Water Ninja, please tell us," said a burly Constrictai from one of the first cells they opened. He and several others looked more bruised and battered than the rest, no doubt having been part of the group that caused a distraction so the Lloyds and SJ could escape. "Our prince, is he-?"

"He's safe," Nya assured him, speaking loudly enough to be heard by all the Serpentine even over Pixal breaking open the rest of the cells. "He and the other two made out safely. He's safe with his mother as we speak. They told us how to find you."

That prompted another hissing cheer from the Serpentine as the last of them were finally freed.

Standing at the front of them all, Nya addressed them in her most authoritative voice. "Alright everyone, listen up. It's not over until we're all off this rock. The Ice Ninja is outside distracting most of Chen's forces, and the Fire Ninja will be doing the same inside on the upper floors." She hoped. It was likely at least that whether he found Skylor or not, Kai would continue taking out any guards that got in his way, meaning the less they had to deal with. "But that doesn't mean we won't run into any more guards on the way out, so you all need to be ready. Travel in a group, with all who feel they can fight on the outside, and those who can't are protected in the middle."

The Serpentine all nodded and shuffled to follow her orders.

Seeing some worried looks on their faces despite this, Nya gave them all a reassuring grin. "Don't worry. I'll protect you," she promised. "We're all getting out of here safe and sound!"

The Serpentine cheered again at her confidence.

With that, Nya turned on her heel to lead them out of the dungeon, breaking into small groups to go up the elevator with her standing guard. Any of Chen's goons that happened by while they were all getting up there were taken out with a hard knock on the head with the blunt end of her spear.

And so, despite the massive group of Serpentine she had to escort all the way to the beach, Nya was feeling pretty good about her part of the mission.

So of course three Master-Built little machines came swarming at them when they next turned a corner.

Nya stabbed one with her spear, Pixal kicked another away leaving a dent in it, and the third was crushed by a helpful young Anacondrai girl.

"Oh dear, Clouse is still here," Borg said worriedly, recognizing the handiwork on the machines.

"And here I was hoping he'd gone with Chen to brag about his stupid mech," Nya grumbled.

"No such luck, I'm afraid," came a drawling voice as the scientist himself stepped into sight.

Nya brandished her spear at the mad scientist. "Or maybe it's my lucky day," she said back in a biting tone. "From what I've heard about you, you _more_ than deserve a beat down."

Clouse rolled his eyes at her. "How charming. The little girl thinks she's the big bad hero."

"You're about to see how big and bad I can be," Nya snarked back. Then, without taking her sights off the scientist, she said to Pixal, "Penny, lead the Serpentine out of here. I'll handle this creep."

Pixal looked worriedly at the back of her head. "You are certain?"

"Piece of cake," said Nya without any doubt. "But it'll be easier without having to worry about the rest of you. Go meet up with Zane outside, okay."

"Very well," said Pixal, and she, Borg and the Serpentine all headed down a different hallway.

Clouse made no move to stop them, his gaze solely focused on Nya like she was a particularly interesting bug in a jar.

"Quite arrogant of you," he said in a condescending tone. "Fighting me on your own with only a spear to help you."

"Do you even hear your own voice?" asked Nya sarcastically. "Hello, pot, I'm kettle."

Clouse snorted derisively. "It's not arrogance if it is true," he said, prowling closer to her. "With the Green Ninja dead, you have no power. It was more than clear the power of Green was the only thing sustaining immature children such as yourself. You are just a little girl with a stick, while I am the right hand of a criminal empire. Care to imagine how I got that position."

Nya gritted her teeth and stood her ground. "Kissing butt, probably," she snapped.

Clouse hummed and inclined his head in agreement. "Well, I must admit that was part of it."

Then, before Nya could blink, Clouse charged at her with a scalpel glittering in his hand. She swung at him while dodging, barely managing to avoid being stabbed.

Clouse, meanwhile, was proving to be far faster than expected, and dodged her swing and throwing the scalpel at her head.

Nya twirled her spear to deflect the small blade, but Clouse was already pulling another out of his pocket to attack again.

As Nya was too distracted deflecting the second scalpel that she didn't notice what Clouse withdrew from his other pocket until it was stabbed into her side.

Looking down, the Water Ninja saw a syringe lodged under her ribs, its contents already partially emptied into her system even as she pulled it free quickly and tossed it away, the remaining liquid smashing against the wall.

Immediately, a burning sensation spread throughout Nya's systems, and she felt her entire body go numb. With the strength in her legs vanishing, she collapsed in a heap.

Right in front of Clouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nya's in trouble now. Her overconfidence was her undoing, and Clouse fights dirty. You do not want to be at his mercy, and Nya's going to find that out pretty quick. Here's hoping the others figure out she's in trouble quick. If it's not clear, this is the same drug that Clouse gave Skylor at the beach, though Nya didn't get quite as big a dose.
> 
> A huge thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading and helping plan this chapter. She was a big help. She's also started posting a new story called He Takes After his Grandfather which is great, and I really recommend it.
> 
> Next Time: Nya is at Clouse's mercy, and the more she hears the more she knows she has to get free no matter what.


	44. Chapter 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nya is at Clouse's mercy, and the more she hears the more she knows she has to get free no matter what.

**Movie Ninjago**

Lying in a crumpled heap on the ground, Nya could only stare in horror up at Clouse. No matter how hard she tried she could barely move beyond twitching her fingers and toes and moving her mouth. There was no way she could fight like this.

The creepy scientist was examining the remains of his syringe and muttering calculations about how much had gotten into her system before she pulled the needle out. "Not as much of the chemical as I would have liked," he finally seemed to conclude. He then shrugged. "No matter, it is enough to get you to my lab, and if need be, apply another dose."

"Wha did yuu 'oo to me?" Nya slurred out as she kept fighting to overcome whatever this was.

"A simple but fast and powerful numbing agent," said Clouse offhandedly as he began striding toward her prone form. "One of my own inventions." He then smirked at her. "I would think you would already know about it, having seen it in action before."

Nya frowned as much as she was able to.

She did?

Then the answer hit her. Of course, Skylor! When Zane and Pixal had gone to her rescue at the beach they had found her drugged with something making her unable to move. So then that whole rescue they'd given her hadn't been staged!

… Was it wrong of her to feel relieved Skylor's suffering hadn't been part of the lie?

While Nya was having this epiphany, Clouse had closed the gap between them and was reaching down to grab her ankle.

"Wha 'r yuu doin'?" she asked.

Clouse rolled his eyes as if he thought she was particularly stupid. "And here I thought you'd heard of me. We are going to my lab," he said as if that should be obvious.

"_Lab?"_ asked Nya, managing not to slur the word in her surprise.

"Well, of course," said Clouse as he began dragging her by her ankle down the hallway. "I just received a brand new specimen."

Nya realized with a jolt he was talking about her. "Sp's'mn?!" she squawked as indignantly as she could with her jaw barely moving.

"Quite," said Clouse offhand, not even looking back at her as he continued to tug her along at a leisurely pace. "It has been quite some time since I've had a new Elemental Master to experiment on, and while I was able to at length, Chen never allowed me to experiment on Skylor as much as I would have liked. Though, there has been the occasional new specimen."

Nya felt herself go cold, and it had nothing to do with the stone floor she was being pulled across.

"A' l'nthf?" she asked.

Clouse seemed to love the sound of his own voice as he continued to reply to her. "Yes, I've never been able to fully examine her. Her appendix and kidney were fascinating, and her bones were always interesting to examine when they were broken from Chen's… punishments. A shame I could never delve further in order to keep her alive. Her ability to harness multiple elements makes her an ideal study."

Nya had never felt more horrified in her entire life. Everything Clouse was saying was making her sick to her very core. Skylor had had to live like _this?_ Around people like _him?_ How had she survived? And now he wanted to do the same and worse to her.

Nya had to get free!

She _would_ get free!

Still, the question burning inside her had to be asked. "_Why!?"_ she gasped.

Clouse glanced back at her with a cold gaze. "Why you ask?" he replied. "Because I wish to know where your power comes from. How are they passed down? Can they be replicated? I do so covet such knowledge. So many people wave it off as some mystical inheritance, but there must be more to it, and it must be hidden somewhere in your biology."

Nya was absolutely revolted.

For that!

He had just admitted to torturing a teenage girl for most of her life… for _that! _Even when he already knew and dismissed the answer

That was… that was _sick!_

Nya was actually glad now that Kai had disagreed with her, no matter what side Skylor ended up choosing to be on, they couldn't leave her on this island one more second.

… Though, she kinda wished her brother was here right now helping her out. No way Clouse could have taken both of them.

No! She could still do this. Clouse said she didn't have much of that drug in her system, right? Maybe she could overcome it. She was still conscious and could still move, that was more than Skylor could do when she was drugged. She could do this!

So the entire time Clouse dragged her through the mansion Nya fought for motion with everything she had. She fought to do more than wiggle her fingers and strained to make her legs move every second of the trip.

But it was no good, no matter how hard she struggled her body would not move, and before she knew it, Clouse was unlocking the door to his lab.

It wasn't until he had lifted her onto a table and began looking for more of his paralyzing chemical that it started hit Nya.

She wouldn't be able to get out of this on her own.

No, no, she could still get free! She had to! If she didn't, well, she didn't want to think about what Clouse would do to her.

But _nothing_ she did would allow her to move. _Nothing!_

That bitter pill finally sank in, and Nya had to face the hard truth.

She couldn't do this…

She _couldn't_ do this!

Clouse seemed to find the chemical he was looking for and was prepping another syringe.

Nya watched in trepidation as he drew the liquid into the needle with ever-growing dread. Literally, the only consolation she could think of right now was Pixal should have gotten the Serpentine out of the building by now, and neither she nor Kai or Zane were chained up here with her.

… Wait…

Kai and Zane!

If they came they could...

No, she couldn't count on them to show up. They didn't even know she was in here. Even if Pixal did tell either of them what had happened, they'd likely think she could handle it. She always handled it. There was no reason for them _not_ to think she'd handle it, and by the time they realized otherwise, who even knows what this creep would do to her in that time.

They weren't coming…

… Unless… _she_ called them.

As Nya struggled with that decision, Clouse finally finished prepping his needle and was approaching her with a sinister grin.

"Don't worry, Water Ninja," he said as he pulled on his medical gloves and mask. "You won't feel a thing… until you wake up."

That was the final straw.

Nya took a deep breath, swallowed her pride, and opened her mouth…

And _screamed_ long and loud at the top of her lungs!

And with that, a loud roaring filled her ears.

* * *

Kai and Skylor were both thoroughly wet from sitting in the flooded hallway by the time the redhead had finally cried herself out and would have been a lot colder from the melting ice if Kai hadn't been sure to keep them warm.

Still, even as they climbed back to their feet, Skylor still needed to take some deep breaths to gather herself. "What now?" she finally asked when she felt steady enough.

"Well, I guess we help Nya get Penny, her dad, and the Serpentine out of here if she hasn't done that already," said Kai, reaching for Zane's falcon perched on his shoulder. "If she has, then we blow this pop stand."

Skylor gave a shaky nod, looking more than willing to leave this island behind and never look back.

Activating the radio in the falcon, Kai said into it, "Hey, Sis? Zane? I've got Skylor with me, and we've worked it out. She's with us. What's going on with you?"

Zane's cheerful automated tones answered immediately. "_Oh, Kai, that is great! I was just about to call you. I have successfully subdued the guards, and Pixal has brought the Serpentine and Professor Borg out to safety."_

"_Nya freed us,"_ added Pixal, no doubt using the comm. Zane had given her. "_I am so happy to hear Skylor has come around. I was so worried."_

Kai shot Skylor a glance, and it was clear she was touched by what Pixal had said from the sad but fond look on her face.

"Hey, that's great," said Kai. "Is Nya with you?"

"_No, she remained behind to ensure our escape was unhindered,"_ said Pixal. "_She is still inside the mansion."_

"Need some backup, Sis?" Kai asked, despite knowing his proud sister would never accept it, he knew he'd be able to tell from her voice if she actually needed aid or not.

Silence rang over the comm. and Nya did not respond.

"Sis?" Kai asked, wondering if she had turned her communicator off to concentrate.

What Kai heard next was not over the radio, but echoing through the halls of the building and made his blood run cold.

"_**HELP ME!"**_

"NYA!" Kai yelled hearing that, recognizing his sister's voice anywhere.

Forgetting his conversation with Zane and Pixal, he and Skylor bolted down the hallway in the direction the call had come, causing the falcon to cling to him for dear life.

But as they ran across the soaked carpet, Skylor glanced down and her eyes widened. "Kai, look!" she said.

Kai followed her gaze and stared stunned. "Woah," he said when he realized what was happening, then sped up to run faster.

Nya must be in even more trouble than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nya's definitely not taking being a damsel in distress well. She's so used to handling everything that comes her way that asking for help is hard for her to even think of, but thankfully she's calling out for it now. If there's one thing we know about any Kai, it's that if you hurt his sister there'll be hell to pay. Still, Nya's got the worst person to be in distress by, as Chen takes mad scientist to a whole new level. He's so obsessed with finding the root of their elemental powers in their biology that he has no issues taking them apart to find it.
> 
> Massive thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading and helping plan this. It was her idea to add that last bit with Kai and Skylor to show their reaction to hearing Nya scream. She also helped with some of Clouse's creepier dialogue.
> 
> Next Time: Can Kai and Skylor save Nya in time? Well, they'll have a little help.


	45. Chapter 45

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Kai and Skylor save Nya in time? Well, they'll have a little help.

**Movie Ninjago**

When Pixal managed to lead the Serpentine and her father out of the mansion, she was greeted by the sight of a new sculpture garden made of several frozen guards, with Zane in the middle darting away from the few still moving.

"Zane!" she called to him.

Zane glanced in her direction while simultaneously freezing another guard and his face broke into a grin. "Pixal!" he said brightly.

A helpful Venomari took her father's wheelchair from her, allowing Pixal to run ahead to reach him.

Zane quickly froze the last two guards before hurrying to meet her.

Just as they were about to reach each other, there was a loud '_PING!_' and Pixal glanced down to see a dart land in the grass from where it had just bounced off her arm. She still had her hologram up, and it seemed someone had tried to attack her thinking she was human.

"WHAT? AGAIN?!" shouted an outraged voice seemingly out of nowhere.

"I knew I had forgotten something," said Zane and sent a blast of ice in the direction of the voice.

The voice yelped, but the blast appeared to miss.

There was a tense minute as they tried to listen for where Zane's target had gone.

"Behind you!" cried several Anacondrai in the Serpentine group.

Pixal yelped as something grabbed her from behind, but Zane swiftly froze her assailant before he could do anything.

Pixal span around to see another Anacondrai fade into view, his head encased in a block of ice.

"Ice try, Pythor," Zane punned, making several Serpentine groan.

Pixal highly doubted the Anacondrai (Pythor, apparently) could hear him as he stumbled around trying to bash the ice off his head against a tree.

When the ice finally came crumbling off, Pythor let out a sigh of relief and turned to look back at the Ice Ninja.

Only to realize he was now surrounded by his fellow Serpentine, and not a single one of them looked happy.

"You traitor!" hissed a burly Constrictai lady.

"It's becaussse of _you _we were dragged from our homesss to this missserable place!" snarled a Venomari.

"Why? Why would you do thisss?" asked a tearful Fangpyre.

Pythor looked around frantically for a way out. Seeing none and that he was completely surrounded, he narrowed his eyes and snapped, "Becaussse I'm better than you! I'm better than _all _of you! And I _dessserve _to be recognized for it! And once I take down Chen, I will be."

The Serpentine all stared at him. "What?" asked a Hypnobrai in utter confusion. "But he wouldn't be a problem if not for you?"

"Well, not as much of one," amended a Constrictai.

But an Anacondrai towards the front of the mob seemed to understand. "SSSo you betrayed your people, provided aid to a madman, kidnapped our beloved prince, and presssented him along with the sssacred weaponsss we're honor-bound to protect, only to betray that madman as well _jussst_ to feed your own ego," she said in a voice colder than Zane's ice. "Isss that right?"

If Pythor had been surrounded by an angry mob before, they were absolutely _furious_ now, and their seething hisses were filling the air.

Pythor paused and seemed to reconsider the position he was in, and just how likely he was to be pummeled by all of them. "Er, well, when you put it that way, I sssuppose it sssounds rather bad," he said with a nervous chuckle.

"GET HIM!" yelled a young-looking Fangpyre, and the mob began to converge on him.

Pythor let out a yelp and vanished from sight, but that didn't fool the other Anacondrai present, forcing him to flee, and the half the Serpentine to give chase, the other half remaining behind to watch him scurry away in disgust.

"Meet us at the cove to the west once you catch him!" Zane called after them.

"And watch out for any more guards!" Pixal added helpfully.

Borg winced. "Given how angry they all are, I'd think the guards would be better off avoiding them than give chase."

"We SSSerpentine are a proud race," said a Hypnobrai who'd remained behind solemnly. "We do not take betrayal sssuch as thisss lightly."

"He does deserve it," Zane agreed, given the grief Pythor had caused his team.

Speaking of his team…

"_Hey, Sis? Zane? I've got Skylor with me, and we've worked it out. She's with us. What's going on with you?"_ came Kai's voice over the radio.

Zane and Pixal exchanged a happy smile at hearing that, before relaying their own successes to him. All seemed to be going well until Kai asked if his sister needed help and got no response.

"_Sis?" _Kai asked, sounding worried.

"_**HELP ME!"**_

Both Zane and Pixal jumped upon hearing that scream, and with a quick promise from the Serpentine to keep Borg safe from any more guards, they bolted back into the mansion.

If something was bad enough to cause the fearless Nya to cry for help, then they needed to get there _fast._

* * *

Well, that was unexpected.

One minute Clouse was preparing to inject the Water Ninja with more of his paralyzing drug to shut her up so he could begin his work, the next he was thrown back and crashed soaking wet into some mechs he'd built in his spare time.

The source of said soaking couldn't be more obvious.

Despite still not being able to move, the Water Ninja had somehow still been able to summon her element to her aid. The girl was now shielded within a frothing dome of water that lashed out violently whenever he tried to get close.

"Fascinating," Clouse muttered as he stood as close as he could to the bubble without getting attacked by it. "It would seem your powers are more potent than I'd anticipated. Skylor never discovered if you'd gotten your True Potential or not. It seems the former is the case."

Nya could do little more than glower at him through the rapids. Even so, the part of her not trying to kill Clouse with her eyes took note of the fact that Skylor had apparently withheld the information from him that she _did_ know Nya didn't have her True Potential.

Or at least… she hadn't until now. Just in the nick of time too.

It was funny, it was only when she allowed herself to feel helpless that she became powerful.

Definitely something to ponder later.

Still, it was all she could do to maintain her water bubble around her. She couldn't attack, and _still _couldn't move, and unless Clouse was dumb enough step closer and to get caught in the bubble's undertow (given he was supposed to be a genius, not likely), they were at a stalemate.

There was one thing she could do.

"HELP!" she called again as clearly as she could with how little she could move her jaw. "ZANE! KAI! HELP ME!"

"I'm sure the guards have subdued your little tin friend by now," said Clouse, his expression annoyed at her continued screams. "And Skylor was patrolling the area your dear brother was last seen. You'll see them soon enough. In chains."

His expression shifted into a nasty smile at the thought. "I do so look forward to seeing what makes the both of them tick."

The glare Nya gave him was as defiant as it was scalding. "Yuu reely nee' t' shtop unda'esstimatin' us," she said bitingly through her slur.

"Oh, and why would I do that?" asked Clouse, almost amused at her confidence in him.

At that exact moment, the door was kicked in with a wreath of flames, and was quickly followed by a shout of "FALCON _PUNCH!_"

Clouse had to dive to the side to avoid the coming blow, and Kai's punch hit one of his tables of tools instead, freezing it solid.

"Tha's why," said Nya with a grin from within her bubble.

Kai wasted no time kicking the frozen table after him, before charging at the scientist for another attack. With his signature flames blazing in one hand, and the falcon gauntlet letting off wisps of frigid air with the other, he made quite the menacing sight, and his utter rage at the sight of his sister in peril made him far more merciless than usual.

With Clouse thoroughly distracted by the Fire Ninja, Skylor was able to slip into the lab unnoticed and crouch outside Nya's water bubble. "Are you alright?" she whispered, worry written all over her face. "Did he do anything to you?"

Nya turned to the redhead and looked, _really _looked, at her.

The girl's face was ashen and tired, and her eyes were red from crying. There was a newly formed bruise on her cheek, and she was soaking wet despite never having touched the bubble. Everything about her body language _screamed_ she didn't want to be anywhere near this room, but the clear concern she was expressing for Nya overrode her desire to keep away.

And with what Clouse had said he had done to her, Nya couldn't blame her for not wanting to ever set foot in this lab again.

And if she was here and not helping Clouse with her brother, then maybe that meant Kai had brought her around.

One way to find out.

"Stuc 'e wit' sumthin'," Nya said quietly. "Can' oove."

Skylor's expression was empathetic at hearing that, and quickly darted over to one of Clouse's cabinets and pulled out a syringe and a bottle of liquid. She made her way back to the bubble and hesitated at its frothing surface. "This is the antidote," she said. "If I give you this it'll go away instantly."

Seeing Nya eye the bottle and syringe warily, Skylor's face fell. "Or… if you don't…" she said, stepping away with a guilty expression. "If you'd rather, it'll wear off in a few hours. I-I don't have to if you don't want…"

But they didn't _have_ a few hours, and Nya knew it. Chen was wreaking all kinds of havoc right now, and they needed all hands on deck to stop him.

Still, it wasn't like Nya didn't have other options if she chose to keep distrusting Skylor. Zane was sure to be here any minute, and she could have _him_ scan the contents of the paralyzing drug and the cure to test their validity. (Though if she did, she'd probably miss all the action, and she definitely wanted to take another crack at pummeling Clouse. He more than deserved it).

But the sad but unsurprised look on Skylor's face and the fact she'd arrived there with Kai was also pretty telling. Along with the fact she _still_ hadn't made a move to help the scientist.

Said scientist finally noticed the redhead and barked, "Skylor! Get over here and take care of this nuisance before he wrecks my lab!"

Skylor's shoulders jumped up to her ears at the order, but she didn't otherwise move, still waiting for Nya's reply.

Taking a leap of faith, Nya let go of her bubble, letting the water fall away and giving Skylor full access to her. "Doo i'," she said.

It was almost painful how hopeful Skylor looked at that, before quickly filling the syringe and applying it to a vein in Nya's arm.

The effects of the cure were just as rapid as the paralyzer. Within seconds Nya was clenching her fist and pushing herself up off the table.

Seeing this, Clouse looked incensed. "Wretched _Brat!" _he snarled and threw one of his scalpels at Skylor.

Skylor moved to dodge, but Nya swept the scalpel out of the air with a wave of water. "Round two," she said the second she felt well enough to get to her feet and darted over to join her brother.

Skylor, however, held back and watched the fight fearfully, and from the poisonous looks Clouse sent her whenever he had the opportunity, it was probably for a good reason.

However, her reluctance to fight was unfortunate, as it turns out Clouse hadn't just been being smug before. He was _good. _Even with both Kai and Nya apparently gaining their True Potential just now and fighting him side by side, he was still keeping up with both of them, though, fortunately, not enough to take them down. As far as the fight was going, they were at a stalemate.

Which is why Zane bursting in with a yell of "SNOW DAY!" and pelting Clouse with ice balls was a very welcome change.

Now on the ropes, Clouse was using every tool in the lab at his disposal to keep the Ninja at bay, but they were quickly gaining ground.

Pixal, meanwhile, ran over to Skylor, her expression concerned. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Skylor was staring in awe as the mad scientist who had tormented her throughout her childhood was grasping at straws to keep fighting. "They're winning," she said like she couldn't believe it.

Pixal gave her a sad smile and reached out to hold her hand, startling Skylor out of her stupor. "Yes," she said. "You don't have to be afraid of him anymore."

Skylor glanced at her, still unsure, before looking back at the fight and paled. "Oh no," she whispered.

Clouse, who had looked to be backed into a corner, suddenly smirked and flipped a switch hidden in the wall.

A second later, a trap door opened beneath the three Ninja's feet. With a startled yelp, they fell, with Zane managing to grab the edge of the hole, with Nya catching his feet and Kai dangling by one hand from her ankle.

Looking down at them with a sinister smirk as he began circling the trap door like a shark, Clouse said, "As I said before, little girl, I didn't gain my position for no reason. You children were fools to think you could stand up to me. Now I have three new specimens, five if you count the traitor and her little friend."

Ever the one to follow cliche, Zane glared up at Clouse and said, "You will not get away with this!"

Stopping at the opposite side and taking aim at Zane's hand clutching the edge, Clouse decided to follow cliche as well and said, "Oh, I already have."

"_No!" _came a shout, and Clouse turned just in time to see Pixal and Skylor tackle him from behind and send him tumbling down the trap door.

With a furious shout, Clouse grabbed hold of Kai's gi as he fell, halting his descent and reading his scalpel to fight his way back up.

But Kai's gauntleted hand closed around the scalpel, crushing the small knife in his grip and making Clouse cry out in pain as the cold metal crushed down on his fingers.

"_That_ was for my sister!" Kai growled at his pain. "And _this_ is for Skylor!"

Then with a wrench, he yanked Clouse off of him and dropped him down into the dungeon below with a loud thud.

"And good riddance," said Nya with a disdainful

Above, the two girls hurried to grab Zane's arms and haul him and the rest back up onto the solid ground.

"Are you alright?" asked Pixal worriedly.

"Peachy," said Zane brightly.

"Better now that creep is gone," added Nya. "He's not getting out of there anytime soon, right?" she asked, not wanting to face him again.

Skylor shook her head. "That trap door goes to Clouse's personal dungeons for his experiments, away from the Serpentine. Unless you opened all of the dungeon cells, it should still be locked."

"But wouldn't he have the key if it's his dungeon?" asked Kai.

Skylor wordlessly pointed at the wall, and they all turned to see a key hanging off a hook.

"Good," said Nya with a sigh of relief. "Let him see how it feels to be one of his experiments for a while."

"Just sitting in a cage? He's getting off light," Skylor muttered.

"May we please get off this island now?" asked Pixal in the politest but most urgent tone she could muster.

The rest of the teenagers all made noises of agreement and slowly rose back to their feet.

As they did so, Nya's foot brushed against one of the mechs Clouse had knocked over when she'd first gotten her powers back. Looking it over, she noticed there were two of them and they somewhat resembled Red Nya's Samurai X mech, and much to her irritation were pretty well made and looked powerful. "Should we smash that creep's toys before we go?" she asked, not liking the idea of Clouse having anything resembling her counterpart's beloved mech.

"What's Clouse doing making samurai mechs anyway?" asked Kai bewildered.

Skylor gave a sigh. "My father liked the look of that Samurai mech that's been flying around on occasion lately," she said. "Since historically samurai serve a lord with utmost loyalty, he liked the idea of having his foot soldiers driving them to make himself look better. These are the prototypes he had Clouse build."

"Not just Clouse," said Pixal, examining the mechs more closely. "I recognize this work. Their base form is taken from mechs my father designed to help with construction." She then scowled and added, "It seems he has been stealing from our company since we've been gone."

"Wouldn't surprise me," said Skylor lowly. "My father has spies everywhere. And Clouse may be a Master Builder, but he's not as good at it as he thinks he is. It's why they needed your father in the first place."

"I suppose we can add plagiarism to their list of crimes," said Zane.

"It would seem so," agreed Pixal, still studying the mechs thoughtfully. Then, an idea seemed to strike her, and to everyone's surprise, she began climbing up the mech into the driver's seat.

"Uh, Pen-er-Pixal, what are you doing?" asked Kai.

"Once you leave this island you are going to fight Chen, are you not," said Pixal as she fiddled with the controls trying to start it up. "I wish to aid you in stopping him."

"By using his own Samurai Mech against him?" asked Nya.

"By reclaiming what is rightfully my father's," said Pixal, still struggling to turn the mech on. "Chen is using my father's work to torment innocence as we speak. That is something I simply cannot allow."

Seeing what she was doing wrong, Skylor said, "No, Clouse changed that, like this." She hurried over to another Samurai Mech and demonstrated the start-up, causing the mech whirr to life.

Pixel copied her actions, and her own mech started up as well, then sent Skylor a questioning glance.

Seeing it, Skylor fidgeted with the controls. "Clouse made me be his test pilot," she admitted.

"Pixal," said Zane, drawing her attention to him. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. "It will be dangerous."

"I know," Pixal replied. "But I cannot stay back and do nothing after all that Chen has done to my friends and family. If there is anything I can do to help, I will. And besides," she flexed the mech's arms. "With this, I am combat-ready."

"Me too," said a surprise voice.

They all turned to look at Skylor, who seemed surprised at herself that she even spoke. "Skylor?" Kai asked.

Skylor hesitated, then said, "I-I can't fight him," she admitted. "But after everything I've done…" her face fell. "I want to help you however I can. I can't… I can't live like this anymore."

Kai, Nya, and Zane exchanged a glance and a nod. "Welcome to the team," said Nya with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, things on Chen's island are officially handled. Now all that's left is to deal with Chen himself. Easier said than done. Anyway, it looks like Penny found her way into a samurai mech. Who's willing to bet she's going to get a taste for it. Skylor, meanwhile, still has no intention of fighting her father, she is open to helping in ways like blocking attacks and rescuing civilians, which is still a major step up from where she was. Of course, given how Chen is now going to be gunning for these people she now is willing to risk everything for, we'll see how she reacts.
> 
> As ever, a massive thanks to Kay Hau for helping beta read and plan this chapter. Some ideas for the mechs were from her, as well as several helpful edits.
> 
> Next Time: The battle for Ouroboros begins.


	46. Chapter 46

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle for Ouroboros begins.

_Movie Ninjago_

The morale when Chen peaked over the desert horizon was cautiously optimistic. Sure, the mob boss had four of the most powerful weapons to exist in their world, and a mech that had given them trouble even _before_ said weapons had been installed into it, but the Ninja force had elemental powers too which had the benefit of being boosted by Lloyd's powers, Lloyd even being there _alive_ was something Chen had no idea about, and he was ready in wait to use the element of surprise to their advantage, they had their own mechs to fight with alongside the Bounty and one of Lord Garmadon's Shark mechs brought in (this one appropriately modeled after a sand shark), and an entire army of Serpentine backing them up. That had to count for something.

And it did count for something…

Just not much.

Especially when they saw what happened to the first squad of Serpentine soldiers rush to attack the mech, only to vanish on contact.

"It's the Golden Weapons!" said Lloyd from his hiding place as he waited for the best moment to strike. "All four of them at once in the mech made them… _poof!"_

"Pull back the troops!" ordered King Skales from the deck of the Bounty, his eyes wide with alarm. "Pull back the troops _now!_ Ranged weaponry only!"

General Arcturus blew a horn to signal them to fall back, but he needn't have bothered. The horrified troops were already retreating as Chen cackled at their terrified faces.

He and his mech truly were a sight. The Snake Mech had been a nightmare to behold before, now with its shiny gold paint job it was even more threatening than before. While its body was still serpent-like, the Golden Master Mech resembled a mythical hydra more than a snake. Like the Ultra Dragon, each of its four heads could command an element and were blasting at them and the city with gusto.

Sitting in the now open cockpit just under the four long necks of the mech sat Chen himself, sneering at those who stood before him. He looked absolutely ridiculous. His purple turban had been swapped out for that pharaoh crown that was shaped like a bowling pin. Instead of his Draculaesc tuxedo, he now wore something that looked like a cross between armor and one of those fancy outfits from medieval paintings with an Elizabethan standing collar fanning out behind his head and a long cape, all of which was blindingly gold with undertones of purple.

"_He looks like a tacky, golden peacock," _said Jay from his mech as he sent missiles at the gold mech that the stupid thing just seemed to shrug off.

"_I guess fashion sense isn't in his evil repertoire,"_ said Cole as he tried to force the mech back with soundwaves. Both he and Jay were trying to avoid using their powers to hide the fact Lloyd was there, but their attacks weren't having much effect on the mech.

Lloyd was focused on more important things than Chen's poor fashion choices. "Use your mechs as a buffer. So long as we don't touch the mech with our bare hands I think we won't vanish from existence."

"_You __**think?!"**_ Jay squeaked.

"Pythor carried all four wrapped in a tapestry, don't worry, we'll be fine," Lloyd said to reassure him. "Jay, you, Cole, and Dad try to box it in, and I'll go for a surprise attack."

"_Got it,_" said Cole, driving his mech closer.

"_Ohhh yeah,"_ said Garmadon, his sneer very apparent in his voice as his Sandshark Mech began circling Chen's. "_I __**more**_ _than owe this guy a beat down for playing me like a fiddle. Well, that, and I just don't like him."_

"_I'm gonna regret this,"_ Jay groaned as he began flying in closer too.

Being the most daring of the mech drivers, Garmadon rammed his Sandshark Mech into the Golden Master Mech with a war cry, biting its tail with his mechanical teeth.

There was a beat as everyone watched the two mechs fight against each other as Chen tried to shake him off. While the Sandshark didn't seem to slow it down much, Garmadon was still in the driver's seat cursing Chen out and not bursting into non-existence (Lloyd breathed an audible sigh of relief at that), so clashing with mechs was a go.

"_Here's the beat drop!"_ said Cole as he joined Garmadon, having his mech jump up and wrap its arms around the golden mech's fire head in a stranglehold.

"_So, __**so**_ _going to regret this," _Jay reiterated, but still shot a tether out of the bottom of his jet to lasso two more heads together and pull.

The last hydra-head thrashed around as Chen tried to free his mech from their hold. Thankfully it was the earth head, which only seemed to be effective if it was able to touch the ground. With their mechs' grip making the sand below unreachable, it could do little more than spew dust and dirt at them.

Still, despite their resistance, Chen didn't seem deterred. "_Foolish Ninja!"_ he crowed from his cockpit, his voice blaring loudly out of speakers built into the mech. "_Oh, and Garmadon, I suppose you're here too."_

"_Hey!"_ Garmadon squawked at being an afterthought.

"_You have no idea what you're dealing with,"_ Chen continued, acting like he hadn't heard. "_My Golden Master Mech is more powerful than all your pitiful toys combined. Better watch Serpentine, this is what will soon befall your precious city!"_

With that, all four heads began blasting off their elements. While Cole's Earth Mech was positioned behind the head with his chokehold, the constant stream of fire blasting from it was getting him hot under the collar, and Jay had to keep spinning in the air to keep the ice and lightning heads from blasting him out of the sky while keeping them tethered. Garmadon, meanwhile, refused to be shaken off the Golden Master Mech's tail, but it was unclear how long he could hold on. Not even the blasts of cannonballs from the Bounty and the rain of arrows and spears flung by the Serpentine Army slowed it down.

"_Anytime you want to help out would be great right about now,"_ Garmadon called over the radio to Lloyd. "_Preferably before I lose my lunch. Though if I do, I'm aiming for Chen."_

"_Do it!"_ Cole and Jay both agree, though whether they were talking about Lloyd's grand entrance or Garmadon puking on Chen was unclear.

The Golden Master Mech actually froze as a loud roar split the air, and Lloyd's Green Dragon Mech shot up from behind Ouroboros' city walls and dove at it like a hawk.

"_WHAT!"_ they all heard Chen exclaim when he caught sight of just who was in the driver seat.

Lloyd Garmadon, forgoing his usual mask to make it clear it was really, truly him, tore his mech's claws into the final hydra head and smirked down at it. "Surprised to see me?" he asked mockingly.

"_YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE __**DEAD!"**_ Chen bellowed in outrage.

"Sorry to disappoint you, oh wait, no I'm not," said Lloyd smugly. He then turned to his teammates. "Let him have it!" he ordered as he jerked back on his mechs controls to unleash a payload of missiles at Chen.

At that signal, Garmadon began unleashing his missiles too, and Cole and Jay unleashed the full powers of both their mechs and their elements at point-blank range at the Golden Master Mech, though all the other mechs had to pull back to avoid being blown up in the process.

But when the smoke cleared, the golden mech didn't have a scratch on it.

"No way," Lloyd muttered in disbelief at the sight.

Chen was grinning viciously from his cockpit. _"That tickled,"_ he said gleefully, then tugged on his controls and added a sinister, _"My turn!"_

The Golden Mech lashed out with its serpent-like tail and sent the Sandshark Meck flying into a sand dune. The ice and lightning heads blasted their elements at Cole's mech to send it careening back, and the fire head spat an intense flame up at Jay, making him speed out of range. The remaining earth head shot out and managed to catch Lloyd's mech by the tail and swing him around.

Lloyd held on tight to keep from flying out of his mech and twisted it around to lash out with his mech's claws again.

The screeching of metal on metal filled the air as the dragon clashed with the hydra, green and orange flame spewing from both sides, and every element available was thrown.

The other three mechs recovered and rushed back to help, but with Lloyd's mech tangled with Chen's, there was a problem.

"_I can't get a clear shot!"_ Jay called from his mech as he tried to arrange the targeting features to work. "_Not without hitting Lloyd!"_

"_Same here,"_ said Cole, sounding frustrated.

"_Ditto," _grumbled Garmadon, sounding very irate, but his missiles remained locked on Chen none the less.

"_Garmadon, if you fire at our son…" _Koko said threateningly from the Bounty.

"_I'm __**not!**_" Garmadon said indignantly. "_I'm just waiting for him to get out of the way. Keep your armor on."_

Koko huffed at that.

Unfortunately, one thing they didn't take into account was that Lloyd's current close proximity to Chen's mech meant that Chen could hear every word said over Lloyd's radio, including Koko's voice.

And no one had any clue how much he resented her.

"Ohhh, is that the Lady IronDragon I hear?" he asked Lloyd tauntingly. "Is she here? With the army, perhaps?"

Lloyd scowled at him at the mention of his mother but even so spared a glance at the Bounty where his mother was manning the cannons.

Chen followed Lloyd's gaze, and a sinister smirk spread across his face as he caught sight of red hair over silver armor on the deck next to the Serpentine generals. "There she is," he said. "It's been so long since I've seen her." He glanced back over at Ouroboros and shrugged. "Ah well, the city's not going anywhere, and the head honchos for it are right there too. I'm sure they're all _dying_ to catch up."

Lloyd's eyes widened at the implication of those words, and taking advantage of his shock allowed Chen to toss the Green Dragon Mech away and turn his attention towards the Bounty.

Even as he tumbled through the air, Lloyd shouted into the radio, "MOM! He's coming after you! Get the Bounty out of here!"

"_WHAT!" _roared Garmadon in outrage.

"Wu! Pull up!" shouted Koko.

Master Wu, who was driving the Bounty, yanked the lever to make them ascend into the air, but the Golden Mech sent a volley of elements at the thrusters.

The Serpentine generals all yelped as Wu span the wheel sharply to avoid the attack, nearly sending them careening off the deck.

"Why is he after me?" asked Koko in bewilderment as she clung to her cannon for dear life.

"If I recall correctly," said General Acidicus as he did the same to the ship's mast. "He would often try to ssstart rumorsss about you during our battlesss against Garmadon, essspecially after you and he ssstarted… mingling."

Koko blinked. "Wait, is that why everyone knew we were a couple so quickly. I'd barely had a battle date with him before everyone in the war camp knew about it. I wasn't even sure if I actually liked him yet or if it was just the adrenaline talking."

"It wasss the adrenaline," said all the Serpentine generals.

"_Hey!" _squawked Garmadon over the radio.

"Though to answer your quessstion, yesss," said General Acidicus. "He told everyone who would lisssten. He tried to convince usss that you were turning traitor. However, with how quickly it became clear his infatuation with you made winning battlesss much fassster and in our favor, we chossse not to look a gift horssse in the mouth."

"Even though we all know you can do far, _far_ better than him," added General Skalidor.

"_I can __**hear**_ _you, ya know!"_ growled Garmadon.

"You disssagree?" asked General Skalidor.

"... _No,"_ Garmadon admitted reluctantly.

"Dessspite that, Chen ssstill was very vocal about his dissstrust for you, and that we should not abide Garmadon'sss and your infatuation with each other. Though, now that we know he wished for the war to continue, sssuddenly his motivationsss make a lot more sssense," General Fangtom concluded with Generals Skalidor and Acidicus nodding in agreement.

"If you three are done gossssiping like housewivesss-" said General Arcturus.

"It'sss relevant!" General Skalidor protested.

"-You could perhapsss pay more attention to the monssstrosity currently trying to kill usss," General Arcturus finished, pointing at the Golden Mech that was gaining on the Bounty.

On cue, Wu had to make a hard left to dodge another blast, nearly sending all of them flying off the ship once again.

Koko took aim with her cannon and fired at the pursuing mech. Unfortunately, Chen was able to dodge the cannonball, and it instead nearly hit Jay's jet as he and the rest chased after them.

"_Watch it!"_ Jay squawked.

"Sorry," said Koko, before taking aim and firing again.

Even though this time the cannonball hit, it barely dented the mech and bounced off harmlessly into the sand.

"What doesss it take to beat thisss thing?" asked General Fangtom.

"Whatever it isss, we need to find it sssoon," said King Skales, scanning the mech for anything that may act as a weakness.

Instead, all he saw were four gaping maws as the Golden Master Mech launched itself at them with jaws open wide, and the Ninja Force's mechs too far behind to stop it.

When recounting the tale later, General Acidicus would forever deny the high-pitched scream that he let out at the sight.

At the very last second a portal appeared and with a roar, the Ultra Dragon burst out of it with the carriage towed in its wake.

The dragon collided with the golden mech, and like with Lloyd's Green Dragon, started a vicious battle of claws, teeth, and elements.

The carriage quickly disconnected from the dragon to avoid getting tangled up in the tussle, and as a testament to Nick Jay and Red Nya's rapidly improving Master Building Skills, its structure morphed into the Ultra Dragon's likeness a second before it hit the ground, with Red's Samurai X mech disengaging from the back in a simultaneous flourish.

"_Good of you to join us,"_ said Luh-Loyd in relief at the sight of them.

"_Good to be here,"_ Spike Kai replied, the four-headed dragon mech connecting to their radiofrequency.

"_Especially since it means we fixed our mess before you did,_" said Red Nya in a deceptively sweet tone.

"_Aw dang it," _said Freckles Jay. "_Nya's going to be disappointed. Well, when she gets here."_

"_Got a few people to drop on the Bounty,"_ said Cliff Cole, staying on track as they swung the Ultra Mech towards the ship. "_How are things going."_

"_Bad,"_ said DJ Cole shortly. "_Ultra's doing more damage now than we have this whole fight."_

A quick glance at the Ultra Dragon fighting the Golden Mech showed that while the dragon was holding their own, they really weren't doing much more than scratching the paint job.

Chen was furious.

Still, it gave the Ultra Mech enough time to drop off Lil'Loyd, Rusty Echo (still in his exosuit mech) and the Pixal of their world off onto the Bounty, and the latter two watched the flesh and blood dragon fight the metal hydra while occasionally eyeing the Serpentine on the flying ship curiously.

"_I don't get how Ultra is able to fight that thing without going poof," _said Freckles Jay as they all maneuvered to surround the Golden Master Mech while Ultra distracted its driver.

"What?" asked Lil'Loyd, worried for his pet.

"_Yeah, don't touch the mech with anything but your own mech,"_ said DJ Cole.

"_Unless you wanna get vaporized,"_ added Lord Garmadon dryly.

The Serpentine shuddered, remembering those poor souls who did.

"_I'd bet it's because Ultra can already handle all four elements," _speculated Luh-Loyd. "_That, or it's just a dragon thing, who knows."_

"_I'd wager on a bit of both,"_ offered Zen Zane. "_Though I wouldn't risk it with Meowthra, due to her lacking such."_

"_Where is she, anyway?" _asked Nick Jay as they all got into position and not seeing the giant cat anywhere.

"Protecting the Serpentine civilians," Master Wu answered as he positioned the Bounty higher in the sky to avoid another attack like before. "Should we fail here, she will be the people's last line of defense."

"_It won't come to that,"_ said Luh-Loyd firmly as they were all in position. "_Ready to fire on my mark."_

"_Didn't we __**just**_ _try this?"_ asked Freckles. "_And it, ya know, didn't work."_

"_We have back up and more firepower this time,"_ Lloyd said, though the argument sounded a little weak. "_And elements we didn't have before."_

"_Wise man once said, if at first you don't succeed at blowing stuff up, blast, blast again,"_ said Garmadon far too cheerfully as a multitude of guns and bazookas popped out of his Sandshark mech.

"_That's… not how that saying goes,"_ said Red Nya slowly.

Koko sighed in resignation. "I'm in a family of pyromaniacs. Blasting things is the answer to everything."

"Hey!" protested Wu.

In response, Koko pointedly gestured at the cannon she was using, the rows of other cannons along the sides of the ship, and the abundance of cannonballs at her disposal for firing.

Wu grumbled but conceded her point.

Lloyd ignored this and called to signal them. "_Ready in three… two-"_

But before he could finish, Chen got completely fed up with the Ultra Dragon and hit some button on his mech.

All four of the heads began to glow and with a blinding _FLASH!_ a shockwave erupted from his mech, blowing the Ultra Dragon away and sending all the rest of them tumbling.

Despite how Wu fought with the ship's wheel, the Bounty still crashed into the sand and rattled everyone on board.

Pixal recovered first. "Is everyone alright?" she asked.

"SSSomehow," said King Skales as he and his generals pushed themselves back up.

"I'll live," said Koko, pushing herself to her feet.

"Um," said Echo. "Sorry, I seem to have lost my head."

Pixal looked over to see that Echo's head had disconnected from his body, and was currently rolling across the deck. "I'll get it," she said, knowing that she was the only one on the ship who could reconnect it anyhow.

Echo's head had rolled to the edge of the ship by the time Pixal reached it, and as she scooped it up, they both became aware of a dark shadow looming over them.

Looking up, both Pixal and Echo stared in horror at the sight of Chen's gleaming mech as he bared down on them.

The mob boss's face split into a nasty grin as the four heads closed in.

"I've got you now!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning in advance, the next chapter might be a little late next week. I only finished this one a couple of days ago, and considering how close to the ending we are (I'd give it four or five more chapters) these chapters are likely to be on the long side and need a bit more time to write. IT WILL HAPPEN, just maybe a few days late.
> 
> Anywho, the final battle has begun. Chen's mech is as tough as his outfit is ugly, and boy is that outfit ugly. The Ninja are throwing everything they have at it, and so far only the Ultra Dragon has managed to scratch the paint job. It doesn't help they all have to fight from a distance or by proxy through their mechs. Being able to go up close and dismantle the thing would solve so many problems, but nope. Those poor Serpentine. And with Chen on a warpath after Koko, things are not looking good. Still, it was fun to write the banter between Koko and the Serpentine Generals showing they're old friends, even if they think her taste in men leaves something to be desired.
> 
> As always, thanks so much to Kay Hau for beta reading this and pointing out some things that needed fixing and clarifying, and the timely response on the feedback given I only sent it to her the other day. Thanks a bunch.
> 
> Next Time: With Chen bearing down on them, will the island rescue team arrive in time to help? And will they even make a difference when they do?


	47. Chapter 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Chen bearing down on them, will the island rescue team arrive in time to help? And will they even make a difference when they do?

_Movie Ninjago_

"Get back!" shouted Koko as she ran forward and yanked Pixal behind her.

General Acidicus ran up beside her and spat his venom an impressive distance towards Chen's eyes.

Chen just grinned and a windshield slammed down in front of him, causing the hallucinogenic venom to splatter across it.

"Haha! Missed me!" he taunted as a pair of windshield wipers sprang up to clear it away. He then grinned nastily through the glass. "My turn."

General Acidicus yelped as the golden mech's lightning head sent a bolt at him, and he barely dodged in time.

Despite seeing this, Koko stood her ground and glared up at him defiantly, even though she knew her spear would be next to useless against the monstrosity.

Pixal, meanwhile, ran back over to Echo's body and reconnected his head a bit rougher than intended in her rush.

Just in time, too, as the second his head was back on, Echo rushed back to Koko's side just in time to catch and hold back the earth hydra-head before it could snap Koko up in its jaws.

Fortunately, Echo's exosuit mech was built to greatly increase his strength, so he was able to brace himself against the giant mechanical head as well as keep its jaws pried open, though he was kind of stuck in one place while doing so.

Unfortunately, the mech had three more heads, all of which were slowly descending to take him out.

And with the way Chen was giggling the entire time, they could all tell he was enjoying this game of cat and mouse.

Acting fast, Koko darted to Echo's side to see inside the monstrous mech's jaws, hoping for something on the inside she could stab that might do damage since little seemed to have an effect on the outside. Lil'Loyd was a step behind her for the same reason.

Seeing nothing but spinning razor-sharp blades ready to grind them into bits, Koko grabbed a nearby cannonball and threw it in, hoping to cause something to jam, and Lil'Loyd blasted it with energy.

This backfired, as while the cannonball did dent and grind the bladed gears, it also sent several flying loose, forcing Echo to lose his grip as both he and the other two jump back to avoid them flying out in their face.

This left the three sprawled on the deck with all four heads bearing down on them now, and the only thing they had to show for it was the earth head now had a lopsided jaw.

"_ECHO!" _shouted Zen Zane over the radio when he saw his brother's predicament, abandoning the still downed Ultra Mech to run to them.

"LLOYD!" shouted Spike Kai at the same sight, but couldn't run over like they did thanks to his leg being caught under his mech.

"_MOM!_" yelled Luh-Loyd, but was too far away to help.

Despite that Echo was the one in a mech, Koko threw herself over him and her son to protect them both.

Then, at the last second, there was the sound of rushing water and ice cracking, and instead of reaching the two, the Golden Master Mech's four heads crashed into a massive ice wall that sprang up between them.

"_Sorry we're late,"_ came a new voice on the radio as the Water Strider Mech, Ice Tank Mech, and Fire Mech came rushing onto the scene. "_Things on our end got… dramatic,"_ Cyan Nya finished as she and Pep Zane used their combined powers to entrap Chen within more walls of ice.

"_Better late than never,"_ Red Nya replied from where she was piloting her mech up off the ground. "_Also, we won the bet."_

"_Aw, dang it,"_ muttered Cyan.

At the sound of thrusters, Koko, Lil'Loyd, and Echo looked up to see a new Samurai Mech flying down to them with a redheaded girl driving it. "Come on," she said glancing nervously at the ice trapping Chen, "That won't hold him for long."

Realizing this must be the famous Skylor, Koko smiled. "Then we'll have to make the most of it," she said, allowing the teenager to pick her and her son up to fly her out of the way.

Another Samurai Mech flew down, this one piloted by a blonde girl, and between the two of them and Echo's mech, they were able to carry all on the downed Bounty a safe distance from Chen to where a relieved Zen Zane rushed to greet them, grabbing his brother and Pixal in a tight hug.

As she placed the Serpentine she'd been carrying down, the blonde girl (Penny Trixie Allons, most likely,) did a double-take when she caught sight of Pixal.

Seeing her scrutiny, Pixal asked, "Is something the matter?"

The blonde flinched, and for a second her holographic form flickered, revealing her silver hair and skin underneath.

Pixal gasped and stared in disbelief.

Penny stared back in utter confusion.

(Zen Zane realized at that moment the latter likely hadn't been told about the multiverse yet, nor had the former been prepared to meet her counterpart.)

Behind them, Chen's mech burst free of his icy prison in a storm of lightning and fire.

"I will explain everything when we are not in danger of imminent destruction," Zen said quickly, rushing the group on the ground farther away while Penny and Echo took back to the air to cover them with their mechs (though the former shot many questioning looks at Pixal as she left and muttered something about 'plagiarism').

Skylor and Zen, however, stuck by them, using her mech and his powers to block or shoot down any debris that was thrown their way.

The only mech big enough to protect the Serpentine nobility, Koko, Wu, and Pixal was Lord Garmadon's Sandshark Mech.

So while the rest distracted Chen, said mech swam through the sand over to them and a hatch in the side opened. "Hey doll, going my way," Garmadon called out to Koko with a wink. A beat later he looked at Wu and added, "Wow, Brother, drive much?" with a nod to the crashed Bounty.

Koko rolled her eyes in amusement but climbed in.

"He's going to hold this over me for months," Wu grumbled under his breath as he followed after her.

"The robo girl can come too," Garmadon added when he saw Pixal. "Not sure where she came from, but hey, robots are cool."

"I came to ensure Zane was not harmed by giving me a portion of his heart and then having it returned less than an hour ago," Pixel replied matter of factly.

"Cool," said Garmadon in a tone that said that all went right over his head. "Get in and, uh, _observe."_

Zen squeezed her hand and nodded, and Pixal took his offer and climbed in, allowing Zen to run back over to the Ultra Mech with Lil'Loyd in tow to rejoin the fight. "You will riding with us, Lloyd," he said to the little Green Ninja. "I feel your powers will be a benefit."

"No arguments here," said Lil'Loyd with a grin that spelled trouble for Chen, and already tossing energy balls at his mech. "I'm all for some payback."

Garmadon then glanced at the only ones left, the Serpentine, and sneered. "Oh well, I guess you guys can come too," he said reluctantly.

"And hurry," added Skylor, shooting furtive glances at the battle still raging. "It's you he's after, after all."

The Serpentine generals exchanged a dubious glance with their king, but a large hunk of ice nearly crushing them if Skylor hadn't smashed it made their minds up for them pretty quick.

The hatch of the Sandshark Mech slammed shut but kept its distance from the fight now that it held precious cargo. Garmadon still gleefully volleyed missiles at Chen's mech and Skylor drove her mech to hover above them as back up, knowing her father would likely target them again.

Over the radio, Luh-Loyd was filling the new-comers in with all that had happened so far. "-_So in a nutshell, it's pretty much immune to our powers, artillery fire isn't working either, and it can dish the elements right back at us, only Ultra can touch it without being vaporized because they have all those elements too… probably. Until we find a weakness, the best we can do is play keep-away with what Chen wants."_

"_Well, lucky for you, we know just what his weakness is,"_ said Buddy Kai smugly.

"_YOU DO!" _came the unanimous response from the rest loud enough to make all who heard it wince and instantly regret it.

"_Yes,"_ said Penny as she circled the Golden Master Mech in the air and took strategic shots with a critical eye. "_My father was able to slip one into the design past Chen and Clouse's notice."_

"_Great!" _said Cliff Cole as the Ultra Mech joined Pep Zane in trapping Chen between ice walls, and adding stone walls into the mix. "_Where is it?"_

Cyan Nya let out a sigh. "_Well, given what you said about what this thing is capable of… good news and bad news," _she said. "_Which do you want to hear?"_

"_Aw man,"_ groaned Freckles Jay like he'd been expecting this. "_Good news first."_

"_The good news is we simply have to stab a long cylindrical object, such as a spear or icicle, into a section of the mech and the Golden Weapons will automatically be ejected from their containers, leaving the mech vulnerable as it shifts forms back into its original Snake Mech form," _said Pep Zane, sounding like he was reading out of an instruction booklet.

"_And the bad news?"_ asked Spike Kai, sounding like he was bracing himself.

"_The weakness in question is located in the junction between the four heads,"_ said Penny.

They all looked from their mechs at the base of the necks of the four hydra heads. Unlike the Ultra Dragon and their likened mech, where their necks were set in a straight line across their shoulders, the Golden Master Mech's necks were in a square formation, so weakness would have to be in the center of all four of its necks.

"_You mean we have to get fly into the middle of all __**that?"**_ asked Nick Jay.

"_Not just that," _said Master Wu peering out of the Sandshark Mech (Garmadon grumbled in the background for his brother to get his own periscope). "_But I fear to even reach such a junction would be a tight squeeze, to say the least. __**Very **__tight indeed."_

There was a long beat of silence as that sank in even as they kept throwing their all at the fight.

It was easy to see what Wu was getting at. All of their mechs had been built for size and power with the expectation that they would be maneuvered around a large city to take out equally large threats. None of them were built for small spaces in mind. Not even the three Samurai Mechs or Echo's Exosuit would be small enough to fit between the four heads to reach the weak spot. The only way they could ever reach it would be if someone climbed down themselves without any protection.

And be vaporized on contact with its golden surface because of the weapons inside.

"_Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, if you even think about it, so help me, you are __**grounded**_ _for life!"_ Koko said immediately. "_**Both**_ _of you!"_

"_MOOOM!"_ squawked both Lloyds.

"_I'm not nearly as bad as him,"_ Lil'Loyd added petulantly, but even so Spike plucked him off Zen's seat and locked the little Green Ninja in a death grip between him and the controls, and Buddy started hovering _very_ close to Luh-Loyd's mech looking ready to snag him if he tried anything.

"_There's got to be some way to hit the target without actually going down there," _said Red Nya with her eyes narrowed as she tried to get a better look. "_Maybe if we can shoot a projectile in just the right spot it'll work."_

"_Worth more of a shot than a suicide jump,"_ DJ Cole said as he chucked a rock at Chen's cockpit.

"_Agreed," _said his counterpart. "_Aim whatever you've got at that spot."_

"_And even if you miss, it's not like it'll do anything anyway,"_ added Freckles Jay.

"_Way to be positive, Freckles,"_ said Nick Jay with a groan.

"_Won't he notice we're all aiming at the same place?" _asked Echo.

"_Good point,"_ said Lil'Loyd with a nod to his friend. "_You guys should try to attack other places when you can't get a good shot in so he thinks we're still firing at random."_

"_Oooh, wanton destruction, my favorite,"_ said Garmadon with a grin clear in his voice.

Behind him, everyone could hear the generals sigh.

"_Dad, you need to focus more on evading," _said Luh-Loyd, inciting an indignant squawk. "_He's made it clear that he's after your passengers, so keeping away from him is your priority."_

"_Aww,"_ said Garmadon in disappointment.

"_Think of it this way, Garm," _said Koko. "_You get to be my hero __**and**_ _deny Chen something he really, really wants."_

From the way the Sandshark Mech made an abrupt turn away from the battle and the almost eager way it hid behind a sand dune, it seemed Garmadon liked this idea very much.

And so it began. Every mech throwing everything they had at the weak spot, and other places at random. Missiles, harpoons, ice shards, rocks, you name it, if it was solid and could be used as a projectile, they aimed it at the weak point.

However, not a single one hit. No matter what they threw or from what angle it was shot, there always seemed to be a neck in the way to block the hit.

The only thing they really seemed to accomplish was to enrage Chen even more.

* * *

This whole invasion of Ouroboros thing was not going as Chen had planned, and he was going to kill Pythor for suggesting it. That, or give him to Clouse to take apart, one of the two.

This was supposed to be easy. He had the most powerful weapon in the world at his disposal. An unstoppable amalgamation of technology and magic that could not even be touched by his enemies, and more than enough of a threat on a global scale that all would fear him as the fabled Golden Master. The world was his for the taking.

Or it would be if he could just deal with these incessant gnats that were the Ninja Force, and they were multiplying, much to his dismay.

While none of his opponents could cause any real damage to himself or his mech, they were annoyingly persistent in trying and irritatingly good at dodging. Because of the blinding effects of flashes of fire, lightning, frost, smoke, and dust from their constant attacks he could barely see anything outside of his mech. It meant he was basically shooting blind when fighting against them, and there was nothing that would allow him to continue his chase of Lady IronDragon and the Serpentine King and his Generals. He was fairly certain that they were in Garmadon's stupidly shark-themed mech (Seriously, who brings a shark to a desert?), as it was the only mech big enough to hide them. However, every time he caught sight of it and tried to move to attack, another of the Ninja Force would aim a missile or an element at him, blocking his vision and allowing the mech to hide elsewhere.

All in all, it was really ticking him off, and if one of these stupid teenagers didn't die soon, he would just scream.

Which is why, when he finally got a clear enough view of the annoyingly familiar Samurai Mech protecting the Sandshark Mech (though curiously not attacking like the rest), the sight of its pilot was the absolute last straw.

"AND JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, _DAUGHTER!"_ he screeched through his mech's speakers.

He was marginally pleased to see the mech physically dip in the air at his shout, no doubt scaring the life out of his progeny.

Still, she said nothing in reply, but the Fire, Water-Strider, and one of the Samurai Mechs all very noticeably positioned themselves between him and his daughter.

Seeing that, Chen _sneered_. "Ohhh, I see how it is," he said. "I send you to spy on these maggots and you actually started to _care_ for them." He then scoffed and added, "You truly are pathetic. You had one job, Daughter. _One! JOB!_ And you prove yourself too incompetent to do even _that!"_

Even the Fire Mech sending a wave of flames in his face didn't hide the fact that Skylor was wilting in her pilot seat.

Good.

If that rotten, ungrateful little brat thought now was a good time for a bit of teenage rebellion, he would happily remind her of her proper place. Disobedience was not something he would tolerate from one of his tools.

"How long do you think the Ninja Force will want you around once they realize what a failure you really are," Chen continued, ignoring the flames licking at his mech. They did no harm. "Because it's _obvious_ given enough time you can't do anything right."

His daughter's mech almost dropped out of the air from the wince she gave at that.

Though, it became clear Skylor had affected the Ninja as just much as they had affected her, as their attacks only increased at his spiteful words.

Still, they did nothing but continue to irritate him.

Rotten brats.

They'd get their due soon.

And he couldn't wait until they all _fall._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. The good news is, I got in the zone writing this chapter and managed to get the next one written too, so that'll be on time this Friday. But yeah, they're kind of at a stalemate at the moment. The Ninja know where Chen's weakness is, but can't get to it, and Chen's powerful enough to crush them, but he's getting so many missiles in the face that he can't see to aim under the constant explosions. Add to that his anger at seeing Skylor switch sides, and you know he's going to blow his top soon, and it will not be pretty. Something's going to change soon, but for better or worse you'll have to wait and see.
> 
> Massive, massive thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading this so quickly and giving great advice about both this chapter and the next. Her feedback was great, and I really appreciate it. Check out her work if you haven't already.
> 
> Next Time: Fed up with this song and dance, Chen takes drastic measures to claim victory and Skylor is forced to witness the consequences.


	48. Chapter 48

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fed up with this song and dance, Chen takes drastic measures to claim victory and Skylor is forced to witness the consequences.

_Movie Ninjago_

Despite being inside a massive Samurai Mech, Skylor felt very, very small.

Her father had a knack for doing that.

All her life, every time she'd ever acted out, rebelled, or didn't live up to his standards, he'd know just what to say to make her feel like an ant about to be crushed. Like she was barely worth his time and effort, and she should be grateful for him taking time from his busy crime empire to put up with her, and then gave her to Clouse to hammer the punishment home.

Even now, sticking her neck out and acting on the minuscule hope Kai had given her of escape was turning out just like the rest.

And it wasn't fair because victory was _so __**close.**_ All they needed was to hit that one spot and it would be over, but nothing they threw at it would land.

Her father would win, just as he always had, and there was no way he would 'forgive' her this time, and they both knew it. He wasn't even bothering to fake a cliche offer of 'redemption' if she rejoined his side.

She'd taken her side, and it was the hill she would die on. There was no going back.

And yet somehow, she didn't regret it.

So even though her faith in their success was dwindling, she held her ground and blocked any attacks her father managed to send at the Sandshark Mech through the haze of constant bombardment he was under.

And from what she could see of him, she knew he was only a few seconds away from blowing his top.

It was, unfortunately, a state she was pretty familiar with and had long learned to dread.

"Get back!" she called into the mech's radio to the collective Ninja Force.

"_What?" _asked Montgomery (if that was even his real name since Lady IronDragon had implied… think about that later). The rest of the mech-riding ninja voiced similarly confused shouts.

Skylor felt her stomach sink as she watched a vein in her father's brow look ready to pop. "His face! I know that look, he's about to-"

Before she had a chance to explain, the Golden Master Mech sent out another shockwave like the one that had crashed the Destiny's Bounty. Like before it sent all of the other mechs tumbling, and stopping their attacks in their tracks as they tried to keep from crashing themselves.

With this lull in artillery fire at him, Chen took full advantage of his regained visibility and used his mech's hydra heads to snatch the four closest mechs to him and crushed their maneuverability functions between their jaws.

The Lightning Jet, Fire Mech, Water Strider Mech, and the mech that greatly resemble that four-headed dragon all were caught in their jaws, with the Ninja riding in the mechs crying out in alarm as they lost all control of where they were going.

Then, with an enraged cry, Chen had all of the heads _blast_ the four mechs in the direction of the Sandshark Mech with the force of a cannon.

They were too fast to dodge, too big to block, and the riders of those mechs were screaming as they careened at them.

Kai! Nya! No!

No way to dodge, Skylor flew at the incoming projectiles in hopes of pulling the riders out before they landed.

Jay ejected himself with a parachute, and Nya managed to curl her mech into a protective ball (thank goodness), so Skylor, admittedly biasedly, flew at the Fire Mech first, snatched Kai out of the driver's seat, and rocketed towards the dragon as quick as she could.

Of course, her father would pick the mech with multiple riders. It just had to be that much more difficult.

Thankfully, she hadn't been the only one to try and mount a rescue. The other two Samurai Mechs were also there, snatching the occupants off of the doomed dragon mech. Skylor managed to get a Kai look-alike holding Montgomery to jump onto her mech before they were knocked out of the air themselves by a blast from the Golden Mech's lightning head.

With a scream, Skylor fought with the steering for control, managing to skid the now busted mech across the sand on its back in their crash landing with the three boys she'd saved clutched to its front.

Still, the landing was far from ideal, and the Kai look-alike managed to lose his grip just as they stopped and bang his head against the metal, knocking him out.

"KAI!" shouted Montgomery once they stopped moving, but the Fire Ninja was already on it.

"Don't worry, he'll be okay," he said, examining the other teenager's head. "Just a bump. We Kais have hard heads."

Wait… What?

Deciding to ponder that later, Skylor quickly extracted herself from the cockpit before-

_CRASH!_

_ **BOOM!** _

The three still conscious wheeled around to see the Sandshark Mech was now totaled, and the four mechs that had done the totaling were in equally bad shape.

"Mom!" cried Montgomery, and he was already racing over there, Kai at his heels with his double tossed over his shoulder.

Skylor looked in the direction of her father's mech and was relieved to see that the remaining mechs had _not_ taken Chen's last attack well and were once again going at him with a vengeance, rendering him too distracted and vision impaired to come after them.

For now, at least…

With that thought in mind, Skylor took off after Kai and Montgomery, wanting to know if Nya was okay.

Thankfully, by the time they reached the remains of the Sandshark Nya was already climbing free of her mech's wreckage, bruised but alright.

Those that had been in the shark, however, were not so lucky.

"MOM!" Montgomery cried, distraught as Lord Garmadon kicked his way out of the mech's side, Lady IronDragon cradled in his arms, bleeding from her temple.

"Is she okay?" the former evil warlord was babbling at them, clearly worried. "What am I saying, of course she's not okay! Will she be okay? Tell me she'll be okay!"

Kai quickly set his double down and ran to help the hysterical man bandage her. The other two Samurai Mechs and their passengers were also landing nearby and all hurried over to help pull the rest from the wreckage. From the sound of Jay's shouts in the distance, he was also coming as fast as he could from where his parachute had landed.

Lady IronDragon had a cut and likely a concussion, something Lord Garmadon continued to fuss over. Despite that, she still had her spear clutched loosely in her hand.

The Ninja's master, Wu, likely had a broken leg and was putting all his weight on his flute staff.

The Serpentine Generals were in various states of injury. The Anacondrai and the Constrictai both were alright, given their kinds' resilient nature, but the Fangpyre had bruised ribs, the Venomari had some tailbones dislocated, and the Hypbobrai king had a broken arm.

An android girl who looked remarkably like Pixal (and she had to take a glance at the real Pixal just to be sure) was pulled out too, and while her various parts were dented she was assuring a Zane look alike that she would be fine.

It could have been worse.

It could have been _so_ much worse.

And as a massive boulder was suddenly thrown into the sand mere feet from them, nearly crushing Kai (and would have if Nya hadn't yanked him aside, Skylor quickly realized it could still get worse.

No more!

They needed to end this. _Now!_

She couldn't lose them.

_For once in her life, she_ _couldn't her father win!_

As the others fussed over the injured, no one noticed Skylor as she slipped through them until Lord Garmadon realized she was gently prying Lady IronDragon's spear from her hand.

"What are you doing?" he asked, still wiping lava tears away at the state of his ex-wife.

"Something I should have done a long time ago," she replied.

Before the former warlord could decipher that, Skylor was running.

Kai looked up from treating the injured as she came up to him, and was startled when she snatched the mechanical falcon he was still somehow carrying off his shoulder as she breezed past.

"Falcon punch," she muttered to it, having it shift into gauntlet form over her hand not clutching the spear.

Nya and Pixal could only blink in confusion as she used the gauntlet to snag a curved sheet of scrap metal the size of a boogie board off the remains of the Water Strider mech as she veered around it.

"Skylor! What are you doing?" Kai shouted after her, but she kept running.

She was too far away when they finally realized what she had planned and those able came running after her.

"WAIT!" she heard Nya cry.

"NO! STOP!" screamed Pixal over the sounds of her starting her Samurai Mech back up.

"NO, _NO! _SKYLOR!" yelled Kai desperately, and she could practically hear him leading the charge.

But she had too much of a head start.

Above and around her she could hear the alarmed cries of those still in mechs as she drew far too close to their battle, but she trusted them to keep her father's eyes off her as she did what needed to be done.

Finally, the Golden Master Mech loomed over her, and once she found a good jumping-off point, she'd make her move.

Zane's Ice Tank came barreling towards her, the sweet Nindroid inside no doubt attempting to come and stop her, but little did he know that was just what she needed.

Running at Zane's mech, she jumped up onto its sloping front and had just enough time to see Zane's startled face in the cockpit as she raced up to the highest part of the tank and leaped off.

In the distance, she could hear her friends scream.

The jump was high enough to send her flying onto the Golden Master Mech's back. Just before she landed, she tossed the sheet of metal underneath her and used the spear to push herself forwards as she used it to glide across the deadly golden hide.

With the spear to propel and steer, and the metal keeping her from touching the mech, she made her way to the weak point. It was the most precarious thing Skylor had ever done. The golden mech's surface wasn't entirely smooth, leading to surprising bumps that could topple her off at any moment, and the fact the whole thing was moving made every second a nail-biting battle of balance.

Fortunately, the Ninja were doing their best to keep her father distracted while also taking care not to hit her as they did. She couldn't break concentration from her task to look at them, but she could imagine their faces were terrified.

But she had to do this.

Finally, she reached as close as the scrap metal would allow, and used the spear to pole vault to the next part, hoping against hope her aim wasn't off.

It wasn't. Her father had trained her too well.

Said father gave a startled shout when she suddenly crashed through his windshield and landed in his cockpit. "SKYLOR?" he squawked.

That was all he had time to say before she punched him with her icy gauntleted hand.

"_You!"_ she gasped as adrenaline gave her the courage she'd never had before. "Are a _terrible_ father!"

Then with that, she used the gauntlet to grip the roof of the cockpit and flip herself over top of it to the necks before her father had time to recover, shake off the frost, and retaliate.

Balancing upside down with one hand on a moving vehicle of death was not something Skylor would recommend, but she needed to be able to see where she was going next and when she'd have an opening between the necks, and it wasn't like she could use the other hand to touch down because it was still holding the spear, and you know, instant death without metal protection.

Given that her father now knew she was there, he gave her just that opportunity by bending the heads down towards her, widening the gap between them as the necks curved.

Perfect.

Bending her arm down like a spring, she launched herself through the air in a flip.

And as she descended, she drove the spear downwards with a violent thrust.

Right into the weak point, which activated with a click.

She had done it!

Skylor was so relieved that she didn't notice one of the necks swinging around at her before it was too late.

It slammed into her with the force of a truck and sent her off the mech.

And then, Skylor knew no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so many people were worried Zen Zane or the Lloyds would make the self-sacrifice ploy. Sorry, but this time it fell to Skylor to save the day. It finally reached her tipping point, and she couldn't stand back and watch anymore. She had to take action and got her True Potential in the process. All that's left is for the remaining Ninja to take out Chen's mech.
> 
> Massive thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading and helping with this chapter. I'd initially written all this alongside the last chapter as one chapter, but realized it was too long, and she helped me pick out the best place to split it. Also, some of the ideas to end the fight came from her.
> 
> Next Time: ...


	49. Chapter 49

_Movie Ninjago_

"_SKYLOR!"_

The scream from Buddy Kai was almost painful to hear as they all saw Skylor get knocked off the mech, her body surrounded by amber sparks as it fell.

But miraculously, she didn't vanish on contact, and Luh-Loyd couldn't afford to waste the opportunity she'd risked so much to give them.

As they all watched, the Golden Weapons of Spinjitsu were launched out of Chen's mech in every which direction like glittering rockets. Without them, the mech was rapidly losing power and shifting back to its original state despite Chen frantically trying to keep it otherwise. The rapid change the mech was undergoing involved a lot of sliding metal parts revealing the vulnerable insides of the mech as it changed.

"FIRE!" Luh-Loyd roared alongside his mech as he unleashed all that was left of his firepower at it (which wasn't nearly as much as he would have liked, but then he had used a lot of missiles earlier in the battle).

The other remaining mechs followed suit, aiming at the openings in the mech and destroying it from the inside out.

The mech that had once withstood their every attack buckled as its insides erupted into flames, the remains of the four heads that had been shifting back to one crumbled apart and fell into the desert sand. From his cockpit, Chen could be seen screaming as the entire thing collapsed in on itself trapping him within the remains of his own hubris.

They had won, but Luh-Loyd couldn't be sure it was worth it.

Seeing that even if Chen managed to get through all that unharmed, there was no way he was escaping the wreck, so Luh-Loyd didn't spare a moment to land his own mech and race over to where he'd seen Skylor fall, and from the corner of his eye, he saw the others do the same.

Unsurprisingly but sadly, Buddy Kai was already there when Luh-Loyd reached them, desperately performing CPR on Skylor's prone body. The rest of those who had been driven from their mechs when Chen started throwing them at each other were also there and undoubtedly feeling as useless as Luh-Loyd felt as he approached the scene.

"She's not breathing!" said Cyan Nya wringing her hands frantically beside them. "Where's Zane! We need a health scan. And Cole! The grail! We need the grail!"

Zen Zane, who was there clutching the hand of the Pixal from his world, winced knowing she wasn't talking about him, and he'd not gotten that upgrade yet. Cliff Cole, who didn't know where his counterpart had hidden the Holy Grail looked miserable too.

"It's still buried in Ninjago City," said DJ Cole, having heard that when he arrived on the scene. "I'm calling for it, but it's too far."

"I am here," said Pep Zane, racing over to them, his eyes glowing and sweeping over Skylor the second he arrived.

Whatever he saw caused his expression to grow worried. "I can not detect a heartbeat. She requires an AED."

"On it!" said Freckles Jay darting forward, having practiced acting as the device when needed.

Cyan was quick to get out of the way and Freckles took her place at Skylor's side.

Buddy shot the spectators a stern look as he stopped CPR for Freckles to work. "Look away," he snapped.

Those without formal first aid training looked confused, at least until they saw Freckles start to cut off Skylor's shirt with a small knife, and all the males but Pep (who needed to keep monitoring her with his health scan) quickly turned their heads.

"Get back, Kai," Freckles said once he was ready, and the Fire Ninja scooted clear as his friend sent a jolt of electricity through Skylor's body.

Pep's expression was grim. "No change. Continue CPR."

Buddy let out a hiss between his teeth but resumed chest compressions as he tried to force her heart to beat.

Luh-Loyd wracked his brain for something he could do to help. _Anything _he could do to help.

He cast a glance at the crashed Bounty and wondered if he could run over to get some of Master Wu's healing tea and back before it was too late.

Wait… tea…

Something Chen had said while he'd been escaping that island sparked through his memory.

"_Wait, weren't you concussed a few hours ago? How are you up and moving already?"_

It had been Chen's healing tea that they'd given him to heal his concussion. If anything, Chen _should_ know the proper time it took for it to do its work, and yet he'd been surprised when he saw Luh-Loyd already healed when confronting him a short time later.

As if the tea had healed him faster than expected, but that didn't make any sense.

Unless… it wasn't the tea…

"Uncle Wu?" Luh-Loyd asked softly as Buddy Kai finished giving Skylor rescue breaths so Freckles could give another shock.

"Yes, Nephew," asked Master Wu as he watched on with a sad expression.

"Healing tea… doesn't actually work as fast as I think it does… does it?" he asked, despite already suspecting the answer.

Master Wu turned to him sharply, his eyebrows climbing up his face and vanishing under the brim of his hat as realization washed over him.

Then, the Ninja Master shook his head firmly, and gave an honest, "No, it does not."

"No change," said Pep, despair leaking into his voice after Freckles' latest shock still did not restart Skylor's heart. "Continue CPR."

Around them, the rest of the spectators began looking resigned.

Luh-Loyd nodded to his uncle and stepped forward. "Kai let me tag in."

Buddy Kai, despite looking exhausted from multiple rounds of CPR looked ready to argue, but Luh-Loyd gave him a pleading look. "Trust me, I- I might…"

Buddy took a moment to search his face, before nodding and stepping away so that Luh-Loyd could take his place.

As Luh-Loyd started chest compressions and breaths, he focused everything he had, everything he knew was related to his power into Skylor. '_I can do this. CPR saves lives. I can do this. CPR saves lives,' _was a constant mantra in his head.

His power of Green was fueled by his belief. From his wholehearted belief in his friends that they were unbeatable, to his innocent belief in small tidbits of information like how tea could heal anything in hours.

With his powers, if he thought such things would happen, then they usually did, especially if it was for his friends.

Right now, he needed to believe in himself, and believe in the fact that doing this would save her.

And he did.

He really, _really _did.

He was barely through his chest compressions when Skylor's body suddenly arched up.

And _breathed!_

* * *

Skylor was pretty sure she was dead.

She distinctly remembered getting hit by the Golden Master Mech, a sure death sentence.

Also, oh _man _did that hurt!

(It still, kinda hurt, to be honest…)

The point is, Skylor Chen should be dead.

So why did it feel like she was waking up?

"Skylor?" questioned a voice, breaking through the spiraling thoughts running through her head.

Why would a voice in the afterlife sound like Penny? No, Pixal, her name was Pixal!

Despite how heavy her eyelids felt, opening them seemed to be the only way to answer these questions, so Skylor forced them open.

Only to squeeze them shut again a moment later.

Too bright! Much too bright!

Still, her opening her eyes seemed to excite the owner of the voice, because she spoke again. "Skylor? Are you awake?"

Skylor opened her eyes more carefully this time, and her vision swam into focus.

Pixal stared down at her with a beaming smile. "You are awake," she said, sounding relieved and launching herself at Skylor for a hug.

Skylor slowly blinked at her friend clinging to her. "I'm alive?" she asked, that realization slowly sinking in for her.

Pixal let out a laugh hearing that and pulled back with a grin. "Yes, you are alive. Though you almost were not."

"_How?_" asked Skylor in utter confusion.

"You were lucky," said another voice, making Skylor jump.

Turning away from Pixal, for the first time, Skylor realized she appeared to be in a bed in a hospital room, though instead of the usual pristine plainness of regular hospitals the whole place had more of a desert aesthetic that made Skylor realize it was Serpentine.

To her left in another hospital bed sat Nya, smirking at her as if proud of the scare she caused.

Realizing the implications of Nya being in a hospital bed, Skylor asked, "Are you okay?"

Nya looked even more amused at the question. "You almost died and you're asking if _I'm _okay?" she asked with a shake of her head. "Is this a 'child of an evil father' thing? I swear the Lloyds are bad enough."

"Nya is fine," Pixal explained. "The Serpentine Doctors simply want her to stay overnight for observation since she crashed her mech."

"I didn't crash my mech, Chen did," Nya grumbled, clearly having had this argument before.

There was a _lot _to unpack in that statement, such as confirming they were still in Serpentine territory (likely Ouroboros itself), and particularly interesting was the mention of 'Lloyds' plural, but Skylor chose to focus on her initial question at the moment. "Yeah, about that, again with the alive thing? What do you mean I was lucky? Well, aside from the obvious."

Nya and Pixal exchanged a glance at each other.

"We're not one-hundred percent sure, but our working theory is this," said Nya. "You absorbed all our powers, didn't you? When you made friends with us?"

Skylor grimaced guiltily but nodded. "Yeah," she said with a sigh. "Though I, admittedly, wasn't very good at using any of them but yours and Kai's." She then paused, and asked, "Is Kai okay?"

Nya let out a very unladylike snort of laughter, and Pixal had to answer instead. "He will be perfectly fine," she said. "Just a few minor scratches from all that happened. Though the doctors had to drag him out only minutes ago to bandage them. He was very adamant not to leave your side, and will likely be back very soon."

Skylor blushed and Nya took pity on her to continue her explanation.

"Anyway," she said, "You have all four of the elements corresponding with the Golden Weapons in you, plus the power of Green from Lloyd, which we just found can be used to heal. So like with the Ultra Dragon, that probably gave you at least some protection from touching the weapons. At least enough to keep you from being vaporized." Her face then fell and she added solemnly. "But you didn't have enough power for them not to stop your heart."

Skylor felt an odd weightlessness hearing that. It was one thing to suspect it, another to have it confirmed. "I died," she said.

"For three minutes," Pixal confirmed grimly. "Thankfully, due to the efforts of Kai, Jay, and Lloyd performing CPR and electric shocks you were revived."

"Also the healing thing Lloyd discovered," said Nya rapidly, trying to work past this and dispel the heavy atmosphere quickly. "Which he's apparently had since he was, like, ten but didn't realize it because Master Wu tricked him into thinking healing tea is just that magical."

Skylor couldn't help the laugh that escaped her at that. "Tricked him with healing tea?" she asked.

"Yep, Lloyd thought things that tea would heal in weeks could be healed in days or even hours if Master Wu convinced him it was strong enough," said Nya. "He was a gullible kid."

Skylor giggled again.

"There is also the possibility that gaining your True Potential lent some aid in your survival," added Pixal in an offhand manner.

Skylor didn't know it was possible to choke on your own laughter, but that's certainly what she did. "Wait! I _what?!"_ she squeaked.

Pixal pulled out a phone and played a recording off it, and Skylor was bewildered to hear her father's voice coming out of it.

"_\- Her fear of me is the only thing holding her back. If she overcomes that, we'll never be able to control her __**again!"**_

Skylor stared at the phone in disbelief.

"My father recorded that during his captivity," said Pixal to verify its authenticity. "He thought you should hear it, but there wasn't time."

Skylor didn't know if she should scream, laugh hysterically, or burst into sobs. "All this time…" she said softly to herself. "All this time he knew. _That's _why he forbade me from trying to find mine."

"He actually did that?" asked Nya.

"Under threat of killing Pixal," said Skylor dully. "Which, in hindsight, should have been my first clue that my potential was something he wouldn't like."

"And he hit her for it too," said Pixal, fuming on Skylor's behalf. "That is where the bruise on her cheek came from."

Nya's expression was furious. "Think the Serpentine doctors will let me go to the dungeon and kick Chen a few times? Maybe with ashiko foot spikes on? For my health, you know. It'd _really_ help my blood pressure. Kai's too, come to think of it."

"He's in the Serpentine dungeons?" asked Skylor curiously.

"Yes," said Pixal with a nod. "And rest assured the kingdom's dungeons are pyramids which house impenetrable tombs that reach deep into the earth and its security is reinforced by deadly traps and quicksand. He will likely never see the light of day again. Quite literally."

"And that's where he'll rot," added Nya with a nod of finality. She glanced at Skylor to see her reaction, and her expression turned sympathetic. As one, she and Pixal moved closer to pull the redhead into a hug.

Skylor didn't need to wonder why, as she could already feel the tears streaming down her cheeks at the news.

It was over.

He was gone.

She was free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I wasn't going to kill Skylor off. Well, I technically did, but only for 3 minutes. CPR saves lives, kids, and so do magic ninja powers. Is it obvious I actually have CPR training? Anyway, at last, poor Skylor is free. It's good she has such great friends to help her get there. Also, a great convenient time for Luh-Loyd to learn he can heal. Hard to believe this fic is almost over. All that's left is either the Epilogue or one chapter and then the Epilogue. I'm still writing it (though almost done), and which it is depends on how long it turns out to be. Still, I started this sequel intending for it to be shorter than The Grass is Always Greener and ended up with it being even longer than that one. Just goes to show, always expect your fic to be longer than anticipated. My fics always seem to be like that.
> 
> Massive thanks to Kay Hau for her help with this chapter. The dialogue between Wu and Luh-Loyd was inspired by her suggestions, and as always she was great as a beta reader.
> 
> Next Time: Skylor has a bright new future ahead of her and Penny Pixal is happy to help with that, Zen Zane and Rusty Echo finally get those upgrades, and Nick Jay comes to a decision.


	50. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skylor has a bright new future ahead of her and Penny Pixal is happy to help with that, Zen Zane and Rusty Echo finally get those upgrades, and Nick Jay comes to a decision.

_Movie Ninjago_

Unsurprisingly, Skylor was in the hospital the longest of those who fought against Chen. Others, especially those in the Sandshark Mech also had decently long stays, but even they were let out sooner than Skylor. Even so, she was only hospitalized for a week thanks to the combined efforts of Lloyd's apparent healing powers, magic teas, and efforts of actual doctors. Said doctors were the reason she had even stayed that long, thanks to Zane giving them the information from his health scans. The Serpentine doctors and nurses had paled at what they saw on it and insisted she stay for observation. It seemed Clouse wasn't as good a doctor as he thought he was.

Skylor was alright with that. She honestly needed that time to come to terms with the fact that she was no longer under Chen's thumb. That she wouldn't soon wake up back in her cell of a bedroom on that island and all this hadn't been a pleasant dream.

(It also let her absorb the fact that there's a multiverse out there, and, oh man, did that information cause _so_ many things to suddenly make sense.)

It was a wonderful feeling when it finally sank in for her that she would never have to go back there again. Never have to see her father or Clouse's faces ever again.

Still, that left a slight conundrum.

"I'm going to have to find somewhere new to live," she mentioned off-hand one day during her hospital stay.

Kai, Pixal, and Nya, who were all visiting her at the time looked up at her in surprise. They had been her most constant visitors her entire stay, but the rest of the Ninja Force had come to visit too.

"While I agree, considering the apartment you have now is kind of… old. Still, any specific reason why?" asked Nya, not wanting to insult her, but knowing that the place Skylor had been staying in Ninjago City was kind of a dump.

"Even with my father… with Chen locked up, he still has spies and thugs out there that won't be happy we locked up their boss. Loyalty and all that," Skylor explained. "I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to take it out on me." Her expression then shifted to a troubled frown. "Though… I don't know how I'll afford somewhere new."

"Afford it?" asked Kai in concern.

Skylor shrugged. "All Chen's money is dirty, as are most of his businesses, which are no doubt falling apart as we speak without him. The only one I can think of that isn't a front for anything illegal is a string of noodle restaurants. I guess I can continue those, but…" she trailed off seeing the troubled looks on her friend's faces. "Don't worry," she said with an encouraging smile. "I'll figure it out."

The twins exchanged worried glances, and they all failed to see the determined frown come onto Pixal's face.

Which is why Skylor was so startled a few days later when upon being released from Ouroboros' hospital she saw Cyrus Borg sitting in his wheelchair beside Pixal and the Ninja Force outside the hospital.

"Hi, Prof. Borg. Wasn't expecting you here. I thought they were super strict about letting outsiders in?" Skylor said.

"They are," Lloyd confirmed with an amused smile. "They still won't let Dad set foot in the city. He threw a fit when they wouldn't let him see me and Mom in the hospital, and was video calling us nonstop while we were here. Uncle Wu just _barely_ convinced him not to try and conquer Ouroboros again."

Borg let out an amused chuckle at that story before addressing Skylor's question. "I was given special permission by the king to be here today, as a show of gratitude for my aid in creating the weakness of the Golden Master Mech." His face turned slightly downcast. "Though, I am unworthy of such, given how I was the one who built that accursed thing in the first place."

"You were tricked by Chen initially, and then forced to continue once you realized the truth," said Pixal patiently with an air that she'd said this to her father many times before. "The Serpentine understand and empathize with your plight, and know you did your best given the circumstances."

Borg sighed and smiled fondly at his daughter. "I know you are right, Pixal, but it will take time for that to sink in."

"It's great there are no hard feelings between you and them, but still, why are you here?" Skylor asked politely as she could, bringing them back to her initial question.

Though, she had a sinking feeling in her gut that he might be here due to her part in his recapture. If he had any grievances about that, she understood completely, and mentally prepared herself to hear them.

So she was very surprised when Borg's expression brightened and he actually smiled up at her. "Ah yes, thank you Skylor," he said. "To cut straight to the point, I'm here for you."

"Me?" asked Skylor, that sinking feeling growing more pronounced.

"Yes," said Borg with a nod and another fond smile at his daughter. "My dear Pixal has brought to my attention that you no longer have a place to live, nor a guardian to watch over you until adulthood."

Skylor, not seeing where this was going, answered, "Yeah, I can't go back to my apartment, and my 'guardians' if you can call them that, are in jail." She paused thoughtfully and asked the Ninja Force. "Clouse is in jail, right?"

"Oh yeah, he's got a nice cozy cell in Kryptarium Prison," said Kai with a smirk.

"Maximum security," Zane chirped helpfully.

"And he's gonna be there for a _long_ time," finished Cole leaning on the Nindroid's shoulder lazily.

"Pythor managed to get away, though," said Jay, ever the pessimist. "He slipped the Serpentine chasing him and managed to use the boat Lloyd built on Chen's Island to escape."

"We're still looking for him," said Nya. "Lloyd even got Taffy in on it. But with any luck, he's lost at sea forever."

Despite not needing her throat for such, Pixel gave a loud cough to quiet the Ninja and turn the attention back to Borg.

"Yes, well, in light of your current situation," said Borg, reaching into a pocket on the side of his chair. Pulling out a stack of paperwork and a pen, he held it out to Skylor and with a warm smile. "If I may be so bold, Skylor Chen, would you be willing to allow me to adopt you, or at the very least act as your guardian until you are of age?"

Skylor's jaw _dropped! _This was the absolute _last_ thing she would have expected from the inventor. "I helped _kidnap_ you!" she said incredulously. "My father made your life heck!"

"And you are not your father," said Borg patiently, obviously having expected this reaction. "Not to mention that I as well as Pixal know you never intended for our capture to take place, and did the best you could for us in a no-win situation."

"But-" Skylor started to protest.

"You protected me," Pixal cut her off imploringly. "You could have told Chen and Clouse who I really was, let them use me against my father, but you didn't. You kept my secret and gave my father peace of mind during his captivity. You are a good person, Skylor."

Skylor felt herself tearing up again. It was strange, she normally didn't cry this much, but now…

"You want me?" she asked in a choked voice.

"Yes," said Borg with a kind smile. "I do."

"For the record, we wanted to adopt you into our family too," Nya waving her hand between herself and her brother. "But Borg beat us to the paperwork. Plus, you being Kai's sister would have made things weird."

Kai turned scarlet and sputtered as the rest of his team laughed.

Skylor choked out a laugh too and reached to take the adoption papers from Borg to sign. "Thank you," she said earnestly.

Borg and Pixal only smiled as she wrote down her name, making it official.

"Also," said Nya brightly, drawing attention to her again. She then tossed heart-shaped confetti over the new sisters' heads. White confetti for Pixal and red for Skylor. "Congratulations, you have both passed the Nya Test."

The reactions were immediate. Lloyd and Cole laughed, Jay squealed in delight, Kai turned even redder than before, and Zane's face seemed to glitch in his embarrassment.

Pixal and Skylor just blinked in confusion. "The what?" they both asked.

Nya smirked. "Sorry," she said, not sounding at all apologetic, "but I've kinda been keeping an eye on you both and judging you when I heard Kai and Zane both liked you two. You pass the test, and have my blessings to date them."

"_NYA!"_ said Kai in a strangled tone, and Zane tried to hide his face behind his hands.

Skylor could only stare in disbelief, but her face was turning just as red as Kai's.

Pixal, meanwhile, frowned thoughtfully. "Is that not a double standard?" she asked. "To judge us and not the boys?"

Nya scoffed. "Are you kidding? I gave _them_ the Nya Test years ago," she said, jerking her thumb at the boys. "We never would have become friends if they didn't pass." She then winked and stage-whispered, "Though Kai's under constant scrutiny. I've been judging him since the day we were born."

"WHAT?" squawked most of the boys, staring at the Water Ninja in disbelief, making it very clear they'd had no idea.

The only one not surprised was Cole. "I _told_ you guys it wasn't just a love test," he said rolling his eyes.

"Cole passed with flying colors, by the way," added Nya brightly.

Pixal and Skylor exchanged glances and laughed.

Things for all of them were looking bright.

* * *

_Show Ninjago_

Zane blinked his eyes open and was momentarily startled at the small notifications on the edges of his vision, wondering how they had gotten there.

Then his memory kicked in and he smiled.

It seemed that new part of his upgrades was a success. Now to test the rest, but first…

The newly upgraded Nindroid turned to his left to look at the work table beside him where his brother was coming back online as well.

Echo slowly sat up and looked around, giving Zane a good look at him. It was like he was an entirely new Nindroid.

While he still had his bronze hair and eyes and resembled Zane strongly, small changes had been made to his face to give him a more youthful appearance, highlighting how young he actually was. He had been fitted with the same synthetic skin as Zane, hiding his gleaming new self-winding clockwork parts inside him where they would not fall out as easily. Small solar panels had been set into his skin disguised as freckles, allowing him to be fitted with abilities and mechanics his previous parts would not allow.

In other words, Echo looked great.

And from the beaming smile he sent in Zane's direction, it was clear he felt great too.

"Big Brother, look!" he said brightly, swinging his arms around in wide circles. "My arms! They're not falling off!"

Zane chuckled and pushed himself off his table to get a better look, and paused at the feeling of his movements.

Oh, that! That felt good!

He'd never noticed how stiff his joints were, or how much effort he put into moving them. For him, it had been normal, but now that he thought about it, it was entirely possible his own internal parts had been more worn down and corroded than he'd initially noticed. But now that those parts had been replaced and were working like new… It felt good. At the risk of sounding like an old man, he felt young again.

"I see you are enjoying your new upgrades," said an amused voice, making both brothers turn and look.

Prof. Julien and Dr. Julien both stood watching in amusement, and behind them were Nya and Jay watching in anticipation. Behind them were Cyrus Borg and Pixal, hanging back because they weren't family, but looking ready to come forward at the slightest invitation.

"Very much so," Zane finally responded to his father who had made the statement. "And thank you so much for helping install them, Professor."

Prof. Julien waved a hand dismissively. "Think nothing of it," he said cheerfully. "I was happy to help, especially now that certain secrets won't prevent me from doing so," he added with a glance at Borg.

Seeing the invitation, Dr. Borg wheeled himself closer. "I must say I'm quite pleased to make your acquaintance as well," he said. "And the mere idea of other dimensions is simply fascinating. The possibilities it could unlock are endless."

At that moment, Echo tried to get up off his table and not being used to how sturdy he now was, fell forward onto his face.

"Though, there's plenty of time to talk about that later," said Borg in amusement as Nya and Jay hurry over to help the younger Nindroid. "For now let's just work on getting these boys their sea legs."

"But we are not at sea," said Echo in confusion.

"Figure of speech, Rusty," said Jay as he and Nya pulled him back to his feet.

"But I am no longer rusty," said Echo, seeming to grow even more confused even as he marveled at how his arms hadn't been pulled from their sockets by their aid.

"Yeah, but you're never getting rid of that nickname," said Nya. "You're stuck with it."

Seeing Echo looking hopelessly lost, Zane took pity on him. "They are teasing you, Echo. It is how they show they care. It is a sibling thing."

"Oh," said Echo, looking like he didn't quite understand, but was pleased by the implication. He then seemed to see something behind Zane and indicated for him to look and gave him a thumbs up.

Turning around, Zane saw Pixal standing there with a shy smile. "Are the upgrades to your liking?" she asked.

"That depends," said Zane, reaching out a hand to her. "Are we compatible now?"

Pixal's expression turned to one of delight and she took his hand. "Yes," she said. "Yes, we are."

Zane's face brightened as well. "Good. Then I couldn't be happier."

A few feet away, Jay barely contained letting out a high pitched squeal. "Awwww," he said in a hushed whisper. "Robot love!" He then turned to look at Nya, clearly set to say something cheesy and romantic to her, but stopped at the sight of her avoiding his eye contact guiltily.

Oh, right, they weren't… they weren't a thing anymore.

With that reminder, Jay's enthusiasm quickly became more subdued. "I, uh," he said, backing away from them all. "I need to get going. Cole invited me to this new arcade and… yeah. If you don't need me, I'm just gonna go."

"Yes, we're finished here," said Dr. Julien. He then paused and looked confused. "... Um, we are, aren't we?"

"We are, don't worry," said Prof. Julien, patting his counterpart on the shoulder, and glancing over at Jay. "Go and have your fun, Jay."

Nya looked like she wanted to say something to him, but then closed her mouth and looked away.

Jay was not ashamed to say he fled down Borg Tower to escape the sudden awkwardness between them and was just glad it didn't penetrate the happy bubble Zane, Echo, and Pixal had been in. This day was for them and their new upgrades. He didn't want to ruin it with his drama.

He'd put them through enough drama already.

Cole was waiting for him in the lobby, grimacing and rubbing his shoulders at the sight of a sign depicting him holding up the city. It seemed Borg wanted everyone to know it was him who saved the day that one time. He perked up when he saw Jay exit the elevator. "Hey man, how'd it go?" he asked.

Jay forced a grin onto his face. He'd done good work and helped his friends. He should be proud of that. "It went great!" he said with semi-forced cheer. "Zane's up and better than ever, and Echo's like a whole new bot! No more missing limbs for that lil'terror."

From the look on his face, Cole saw through his attempts but didn't call him on it. "That's great!" he said. "They coming with us to the arcade?"

"I doubt it," said Jay with a shrug. "Zane seemed pretty happy with Pixal up there. Doubt he's coming down from cloud nine anytime soon."

"Good for him," said Cole as they turned to leave the building.

"Yeah," said Jay, trying to keep himself from being jealous. "Good for him."

As if the universe couldn't give him a break, Jay crashed into a couple holding hands the moment he walked out the door, sending the three of them sprawling to the ground.

"Sorry," Jay was quick to apologize, knowing it was his own distracted thoughts that probably caused the collision.

The guy of the couple didn't seem too upset. "Ah, it's no prob- Wait! It's you!"

Hearing the recognition (and slight dread) in his tone, Jay looked at him more closely. "Uh…Oh, I know you. You're Lee, right? You came to our tea shop the other day."

Lee looked absolutely terrified to be recognized even as he helped the girl he was with back to her feet.

The girl, however, looked at Jay with interest. "Tea shop?" she asked. "You work at the shop Lee got that delicious tea and cakes from? Wow!"

Looking at the girl and her and Lee's intertwined hands, it clicked in Jay's brain. "You're Emi, aren't you? You're the girl Lee wanted to impress."

Lee turned scarlet, and Emi giggled into her hand. "Yep," she said brightly. "And he succeeded. It was the best tea I've had in a long time, and he was so sweet when he gave it to me. Thanks a bunch for helping him out."

Jay smiled wistfully at the two of them. "No problem," he said. "I'm glad it worked out… And Lee?"

Lee flinched but tried not to show it.

"I'm sorry," Jay said sincerely. "For the way I acted back then. I was having a bad day and… well, it doesn't matter. I'm glad you got the girl."

Lee blinked, taken aback but nodded. "Uh, you're good," he said. "And, um, thanks for helping with that."

With that, the happy couple walked away, and Jay watched them go.

Cole, who had been silent through the whole exchange, patted Jay on the back. "Hey, Zap Trap, are you okay?" he asked slowly.

Jay took a deep breath then let it out in a massive sigh. "No," he said. "Maybe I will be eventually, but… Even with Pythor gone, Nya and I aren't getting back together, are we?" he asked rhetorically.

Cole winced and that was answer enough. "Not… anytime soon," he said diplomatically.

Jay nodded dully, having already known the answer.

Cole elbowed him in the side encouragingly. "Hey, Nya might change her mind. Cyan said she just needs time to grow up and figure out what she really wants first."

"But what if she doesn't," said Jay, hanging his head in despair.

Cole winced again, wishing he could assure his best friend she would and it all would be alright, but… that wasn't something he could promise. "Well, that's her choice to make," he said finally. "We can't make it for her. It doesn't work like that."

Jay let out another heavy sigh. "Yeah, I know," he said. It looked like Cyan Nya's advice had finally sunk in.

The two walked in silence towards the arcade, despite neither really feeling up to playing anymore.

Just as they reached the door. Jay came to a decision. "I'll wait for her," he said.

"What?" asked Cole in surprise.

"I'll wait for her," Jay repeated, his voice firm. "I'll wait until she makes her decision. If it's me then, well, she already knows how I feel, and… if it isn't…" he squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bear the thought, but pushing through it. "If it isn't, then… I'll do my best to be happy for her. But until then I can wait."

He turned to look Cole in the eyes. "She's worth the wait."

Cole smiled and clapped Jay on the shoulder. "That's really mature of you, Jay," he said.

Jay spared him a small smile, before physically shaking himself and forcing the negative feelings away. "Thanks, but we didn't come to this arcade to be mature. We came to have _fun!_ And that's what we're gonna do! Come on!" he said in determination.

His piece said, he shoved the door to the arcade open with more force than necessary and darted in towards the games.

Cole followed after him, shaking his head in amusement.

Good to know even with this new maturity, Jay would never really change.

* * *

_Movie Ninjago_

On a typical morning, Lord Garmadon, decked in his volcano pajamas, sat with his feet up and a bowl of cereal in his lap as he watched the morning news in his formerly evil lair.

_Good Morning Ninjago _started at its usual time with Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan smiling at the camera after their introductions.

"_We have some breaking news for you today, Ninjago citizens,"_ said Robin eagerly to start the show. "_One heck of a mystery has been solved."_

The words '**BREAKING NEWS!'** flashed across the screen with accompanying voiceover.

"_It seems the reclusive and elusive Professor Cyrus Borg has come out of hiding at last," _said Michael as a picture of Borg appeared beside him. "_Why was he in hiding? Well, rumor has it some insidious crime lord-"_

"_**Not**_ _Garmadon, for once," _Robin intercut.

"_-Was threatening him,"_ continued Michael without missing a beat. "_But thanks to the heroic efforts of the Ninja Force, and apparently aid from the distant Serpentine kingdom, that crime lord is now behind bars."_

"_**And**_**," **added Robin a picture of two samurai mechs appearing beside her, "_With the help of the new Samurai Sisters. According to the Ninja Force's claims, this was the first appearance of the new vigilante duo of Samurai A and Samurai S. Just who are these feisty female fighters? And what will they do next?"_

'**BURNING QUESTIONS!' **flashed across the screen.

Garmadon grumbled into his cereal at the lack of recognition for his part in Chen's take-down, even though he knew he couldn't get credit for it without admitting he'd skipped out on his house arrest… again.

He comforted himself with the knowledge that the Ninja Nerds' dimensional counterparts weren't getting any credit either. Not that they did too much anyway.

"_And now we go live with Gayle Gossip at a press conference outside Borg Industries,"_ said Michael. "_Gayle?"_

The scene shifted to show Gayle Gossip standing in front of Borg Tower. The area was full of other reporters and a podium had been placed with Borg waiting behind it, a blonde girl on his right and a redhead on his left. "_That's right Michael,"_ she said. "_While Cyrus Borg has been rather secretive about what he was doing while in hiding, he says he has an announcement to make. What this has to do with the presumed space princess Skylor, and average school girl Penny Allons is unknown, though both girls have been seen in the presence of various Ninja Force members before now."_

As if to answer those questions, Borg rolled his chair up to the podium, pulled a lever for it to rise upwards from its wheels, and raised a hand for silence.

"_Thank you all for coming,"_ the inventor said. "_And I thank you greatly for your patience during my time away. I am extremely grateful to my dear friend Prof. Julien for acting as my go-between during that time, and to Lord Garmadon for acting as this city's technological provider in my absence."_

"I didn't do it for you!" Garmadon yelled at the screen. "I did it 'cause my company's tech is more awesome than yours!"

Borg, of course, couldn't hear this criticism, and continued on, "_I am very happy this day to make a great announcement. Not to unveil any new gadgets (though that is connected), but to introduce Ninjago City to my daughters."_

The crowd of reporters burst into confused murmurs at this and eyeing the two girls behind Borg with new interest.

"_As many already are aware, I have chosen to adopt Skylor due to her previous guardians being, erm, indisposed for the foreseeable future,"_ said Borg gesturing in the redhead's direction. Skylor smiled and waved at the furiously clicking cameras.

"_Is she really a princess from space?" _one of the reporters shouted out.

"_Was the crime lord after you from another planet?"_ asked another.

"_Is she being adopted by you in order to build or repair a spaceship so she can return to the stars?"_ cried out a third.

Borg, seeming to have not heard these particular rumors before, blinked at them in bewilderment. "_Wha- Erm- That is-"_ he stuttered.

Skylor, with a mischievous smirk on her face, stepped forwards and leaned over to speak into the podium's microphone. "_No comment,"_ she said. Despite that, she sent an affirming wink at the cameras that was sure to fuel the rumors for weeks to come.

Garmadon let out a guffaw at the sight of the wink and murmurs of conspiracy that it caused among the reporters. He knew he liked that girl. Fire Ninja Bodyguard kid had good taste.

Borg, clearly having no idea what just happened, decided to move on. "_Ahem, yes, well,"_ he said, trying to get back on track. "_While my adoption of Skylor is new, my having a daughter is not."_

He then wheeled his chair back, allowing Penny to step forward and speak into it.

The android girl looked nervous through her hologram but seemed determined to speak. "_Hello,"_ she said into the mike. "_Many of you who go to Ninjago High School may know me as Penny Trixie Allons. I would like to apologize because that was a lie. It is an identity I crafted for myself to pass unnoticed while myself and my father were in hiding. The truth is…" _she dropped her hologram, letting the world see her for the shiny metal android that she was. Smiling at the camera with glowing green LED eyes, she said, "_My real name is Pixal Borg. It is nice to meet you."_

There was a deafening silence in the face of this realization.

Then...

"_THEY __**ARE**_ _FROM SPACE!"_ one reporter shouted.

The rest of the reporters burst into questions after that, now more convinced than ever that Borg and his new family were actually aliens.

Garmadon could only laugh at Borg and Pixal's dumbfounded faces at the din as Skylor seemed to be struggling to hold in her amusement. The former warlord didn't even care he'd spilled most of his cereal out of the bowl at this point as he was so caught up in his mirth.

As such, he wasn't pleased to have his fun interrupted by Dr. Gary bursting in while waving something that looked like a particularly bulky cell phone in his hands.

"Lord Garmadon! I've done it!" Dr. Gary said gleefully.

Garmadon groaned at the sight of him and sat up in his chair. "What do you want, Gary," he said dryly.

Undeterred, Dr. Gary practically shoved the cell phone in his hands under Lord Garmadon's nose. "I've done it, sir," he repeated gleefully. "I've finally discovered how to create a device that will allow communication between dimensions. Think of the possibilities we could accomplish with this."

Garmadon stared cross-eyed at the device, before taking it out of the excited inventor's hands and studying it.

Then he turned to Dr. Gary with a deadpan look. "You couldn't have made this thing a week ago?" he asked in exasperation. "When we actually, ya know, _needed it?_ There was a whole lot of mess that might not'a happened if the Ninja Nerds could just _call_ each other."

That took the wind out of Dr. Gary's sails, and he backed off and said sheepishly, "Er… Better late than never?"

Garmadon threw his cereal bowl at the inventor's head.

Meanwhile, on the TV screen, a laughing Skylor pulled a bemused Pixal and a bewildered Borg into a hug.

It was clear all three on the screen were glad to be out of hiding, and were looking forward to being a new family.

It was a future they all intended to polish until it shined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND IT'S DONE! Another story finished. I hope you all enjoyed In Need of Polish. It was fun to write, and I appreciate all the comments and reviews. This still isn't the end of the series, however. Now that this is over, more Greener Pastures chapters will come out, and eventually another sequel. The next one will be called One Heck of a Wedding, make of that title what you will. Greener Pastures will update next Friday, so be on the lookout.
> 
> A special thanks again to Kay Hau who has been such a big help in offering suggestions, beta reading, and just helping me brainstorm. Without her help, this fic wouldn't have been possible or at least might have been dropped before it finished. I super appreciate the help. Also, Dr. Gary's cameo at the end and the vent session between Jay and Cole were both her ideas. Skylor being adopted by Borg might also have been her idea as well.
> 
> Special thanks to Kay Hau, KatTheGracefulKlutz, Silvermags, Idhren15, Deadly_Rose0824, tebolizer, Grace, Karday_C, Sodi, theblindgodess, TiedyedTrickster, SunflowerSprout, NinjaGirl89, jay_is_bean, Just_A_Star, SweetStrawberry, a fan :), I should get an account at SOME point, but who has time?, little miss needs to get a darned account!!!!, Copper_Hills_Grizzly, gwencarson126, Gryffindor0726, ArcticSkys, Fangirl616, Mimiri, and dsndave for all the awesome comments and feedback. It was a great help and I'm always happy to get them.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my sequel to The Grass is Always Greener. If you haven't read that fic or the series of oneshots Greener Pastures, I strongly recommend you do so, as some things in this fic will not make sense otherwise. I also recommend Greener Gift-fics by Kay Hau, which are gift-fics for this series, and are considered canon in it. Massive thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading and contributing.
> 
> Well, now we know who's falling for who. It's not quite love at first sight, but more both boys admire certain aspects of the two girls. Don't worry, while this fic does have parts in high school, it won't take all of it. The setting gives a unique opportunity for the Ninja to meet and interact with these two without it needing to be a Ninja mission. Of course, given that it's these guys, you just know Ninja business will get mixed up with them, if it's not already. Of course, Nya's going to begin investigating them, so that'll come to light sooner or later.
> 
> Massive, massive thanks to Kay Hay for beta reading and helping to plan and prepare this fic. So much of this comes from our talks together about how these versions of these characters could be like in the movie setting. I couldn't have written this without her, and I'll be sure to point out when she's contributed ideas. Some of the characteristics for Penny, including parts of her name, and ideas for Nya's Nya Test came from her. Also that line from Nya about protecting Kai came from her too.
> 
> Next Time: Luh-Loyd and Lil'Loyd accompany Koko when she's summoned before the Serpentine, only to find the snakes frightened and hoping for them to stop an ancient prophecy.


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